Fullmetal Legacy
by Allen the Musician
Summary: AU Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. post series second generation fic about Ed and Winry's son and the journey that he embarks upon after his own failed human transmutation. Some burdens are too difficult to bear R
1. Trip to Central

Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, just borrowing the characters for my own amusement.

A/N- This is a post series, second generation fic and focuses on the journey of Ed and Winry's son. It's AU ignores several things that happened in the anime and the movie. I wrote this fic awhile back and I'm posting it for my best friend lieutenant-taijiya so that she can read it whenever she wants. This is for you Ticia.

_**FULLMETAL LEGACY**_

_**CHAPTER ONE - Trip to Central**_

It was early in the morning and all was quiet in the little village of Resembool. The sun had not yet risen and all of the villagers were fast asleep. All, that is, except for one. A young boy was quietly preparing to leave his house, being very careful not to awaken his parents or his sister in the process.

The boy quietly slipped out from under the covers and grabbed the clothes that he'd left hanging on the edge of the bed. He quickly pulled on his black pants and his black outer shirt over the black shorts and tank top that he already wore. Then he ran his fingers through his long, golden blonde hair a few times before quickly braiding it.

"Now," the boy whispered under his breath, leaning down to pick up his boots. "To get out of the house without anyone waking up."

That task would be easier said than done, however because his father was a very light sleeper. The boy took a deep breath and opened the door of his room. He tiptoed out into the hall, quietly closed the door behind himself, and then paused for a moment, gazing in the direction of his parents' room. He stood there for a few moments, listening for any noise that would alert him to the fact that his parents had awoken.

Hearing no movement from within, the boy continued on his way. As he did, he heaved a silent sigh of relief, grateful that his parents had not awakened. He did not want his plans ruined before they were even fully set in motion. He tiptoed down the hall and then quietly made his way downstairs. Once he was safely downstairs, he could risk making a little more noise so the boy walked into the kitchen and made himself a snack, in case he got hungry during his trip.

Then, having made his snack, the boy made his way to the front door. He opened the door, stepped out onto the porch, and sat down on one of the chairs. He stuck his feet in his boots, then jumped off the porch and began running.

As he ran through the yard, the boy gazed around quickly, searching for any signs of the dog. He knew that, should the dog see him, all of his plans were ruined. Thankfully, however, the large, furry white dog was nowhere to be seen.

The boy ran as fast as he could until he reached the main village. Then, once there, he dropped down into a careful and deliberate walk. It was still dark and most of the occupants of Resembool were still sound asleep, so the boy made it a point to be as quiet as possible, so that none of the villagers would know that he was there.

Making sure to keep quiet, the boy made his way across the village to the train station. Most trains left during daylight hours however, the boy had been secretly studying the train schedules and therefore knew that a freight train bound for Central would be leaving sometime in the next hour. With a quick glance around the area, to make sure no one was around, the boy climbed up into one of the freight cars. He slowly closed the door and then walked to the corner of the car and sat down, hiding himself behind some large crates that were stacked there.

The boy sat huddled in the corner, with his knees drawn up under his chin and his arms draped around them. With the door of the freight car closed, no light could enter and thus the boy found himself surrounded by darkness. The darkness did not concern the boy however; in fact, he was somewhat thankful for it. It provided him with excellent cover and he would be able to see anyone entering the car long before they saw him.

The darkness also allowed him to be completely alone with his thoughts, shut off from his surroundings by a thick veil of black. He thought of the family he was leaving behind and how his departure would affect them. He knew that they would be sad and angry when they discovered that he was missing and this knowledge caused him great pain. Yet he knew that he had to leave, regardless of the pain that his family would suffer. He had vowed to undo the mistake that he had made and he would not break that vow.

The boy was beginning to doze when he heard the train's whistle blow. Then he felt a lurch as the train began to move. Counting his blessings that no one had checked the car before departure, the boy settled in and prepared for the long trip to Central.

As the train traveled down the tracks, on the way to Central, the young boy found himself lost in thoughts of the past. His mind wandered away from the dark confines of the freight car and back to a happier time and place.

(He and the girls had once again wandered away from the house and out into one of the large meadows that separated their home from the rest of the village of Resembool. And as always, they were accompanied by the large, furry dog that was their constant companion. The dog had originally been a gift for the two girls however, it had had other ideas and had bonded with the boy instead.

As the group of children walked through the meadow, the dog wandered away from them. The big, shaggy white dog bounded through the meadow sniffing the air for any scent of rabbit or other small creatures that he could possibly play with.

"Keeva," the boy called out, as the dog wandered farther away.

The boy's call was answered by a whine from the dog as the animal bounded up to his chosen master.

"I wonder why Keeva likes you so much Nick?" one of the girls asked as the boy patted the dog on the head.

"I have no idea Aiya," Nick answered honestly. "He just took to me."

"You stole our dog Nicholas Edward Elric," the other girl said, a slight pout on her lips.

"I didn't steal anything Harmony," Nick said in a slightly irritated voice. "It's not my fault that the dog prefers my company over yours."

"Come on guys," Aiya said, her gaze moving from her twin sister to her older brother. "Let's not fight over this."

"You're right Aiya," Harmony said. "I'm sorry.")

Nick's eyes opened and he gazed straight ahead, even though the car was still dark and he was still unable to see. He had often fought with his sisters and yet the time that the three of them had spent together had been the happiest times of his life. That's why things had changed so drastically on that fateful day.

(The three children had once again left home early in the morning, this time before their parents awakened. They didn't usually leave without their parents' permission however today was different. Today they wanted to travel to a valley outside of the village, where they knew that a hidden cave was located. The children had always wanted to explore the cave; however, their parents had forbidden it, saying that it was too dangerous for the children.

The children rarely disobeyed their parents and yet so great was their desire to explore the cave that they decided to make an exception. They rationalized that they could just sneak down to the cave early in the morning, before their parents awakened, do a bit of exploring and then return to their house. If all went well their parents would know nothing of their disobedience.

However, all did not go as planned. Nick, Aiya and Harmony made it to the cave with little difficulty and there Nick used his alchemy skills to make a torch and the three children entered the cave. The terrain inside the cave was fascinating to the three young children and they wandered further and further into the cave, paying no heed to how much time past or how far into the cave they traveled.

By the time Nick realized just how far they'd traveled and just how long they'd been gone, the siblings were nearing an underground river. They knew this because they could hear the sound of the water rushing past. Deciding that since he was the oldest sibling he should probably take charge, Nick turned to his two sisters.

"I think we should head back home now."

"Aw," Aiya exclaimed. She was enjoying the exploration of the cave and wasn't ready to leave just yet. The young girl turned imploring eyes to her older brother.

"Come on Nick," Harmony chimed in, knowing that her brother was more likely to give in if she and her sister tag teamed him. It was a regular ploy of theirs and it almost always worked. "Don't be like that. Can't we go and see the river? It's not far from here. I can hear the water."

Nick shook his head. "No. I really think that we should go home. If we don't make it back home before Mom and Dad wake up then we'll all be in a lot of trouble. So let's go."

"I don't want to," Harmony said, tossing her long blonde hair behind her back. "I want to see the river."

And with that, the young girl began running in the direction of the river.

"Harmony!" Nick called out, chasing after his little sister. As he ran, he cast a glance back at the other girl, who stood still, uncertain what to do. "Stay there Aiya. We'll be back in a few minutes."

Aiya nodded, showing that she'd heard.

Still running, Nick turned his attention back to Harmony. "Come back here. We're already in trouble. Mom and Dad are surely up by now and they're gonna flip when they discover that we're gone so let's not make it worse."

Harmony completely ignored the shouts of her older brother. She kept on running until she reached a ledge. The ledge halted her progress and she slid to a stop, barely managing to stop in time to avoid falling off the ledge. She stood at the edge, staring down at the water below.

"Alright Harmony, you've seen the water," Nick said as he approached his little sister. "Now let's go home."

Harmony turned around to obey her older brother, but the rocks beneath her feet suddenly gave way and she plunged down the embankment. The young girl's screams pierced the air and her hands reached out in a futile effort to grab hold of the rocks and prevent her fall.

"Harmony!" Nick yelled, diving to grab hold of her hand before it disappeared over the ledge.

Nick wasn't fast enough, however and Harmony fell from the ledge. The young girl continued to scream as she fell but her screams were abruptly silenced. Nick ran over to the edge and peered down, and the sight that met his gaze was almost enough to make him physically ill. His sister lay on a second ledge, several feet below, surrounded by a pool of blood.

"No!" Nick yelled, quickly scratching a few markings in the dirt of the ledge and placing his hands upon them. Blue sparks erupted from the ground and a ladder suddenly appeared. Nick quickly used the ladder to climb down to the second ledge and reach his sister.

He knelt down beside Harmony and called out to her. "Harmony wake up!" Nick gently patted the side of Harmony's face in an effort to rouse her but it was a wasted effort. The young girl remained motionless. Nick gently scooped her up into his arms and then jumped to his feet. He quickly climbed back up the ladder and began to run toward the cave's exit.

When he reached the spot where he'd left Aiya waiting she quickly fell into step behind him and the siblings ran from the cave as fast as their legs would carry them. Even though her legs were shorter than her brother's, Aiya somehow managed to remain within sight of him as they ran toward their home.

As they approached the house, the siblings saw their parents standing out in the yard. "Mom! Dad!" Nick called out as he ran into the yard and up to his parents.

"What happened?"

"We went to the cave." Tears slid down the boy's face as he recalled what had happened to his sister.. "There was an accident and Harmony fell from a ledge. We have to get the doctor. Please help her!"

"Give her to me."

The man took his daughter in his arms and gazed at her limp and lifeless body. He bowed his head, tears forming in his eyes. There would be no need for a doctor. The child could not be saved. Her injuries were simply too severe.

"Edward," the woman whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

The man quickly embraced his wife. "I'm sorry Winry."

The two parents stood and wept, their daughter embraced between them and her twin standing close beside them. Nick stood apart from the rest of his family, feeling completely miserable and blaming himself for the death of his sister.

_"It's my fault," _the boy thought to himself, tears streaming down his face. _"It's all my fault."_)

Recalling that day brought fresh tears to Nick's eyes. He still felt the pains of guilt whenever he thought of the accident that had taken away his sister. Had he been a better older brother things wouldn't have turned out the way they did and he wouldn't have been forced to leave home.

However the past could not be changed and Nick knew that forward was where he should be looking, instead of spending so much time dwelling on the past.

_"Maybe I can find the answers that I seek in Central. Then I can undo the damage I've caused."_

The train ride from Resembool to the capital of Amestris, Central City, took the better part of two days and during that long and grueling trip Nick managed to get a few hours of sleep. However most of his time was spent lost in thought about the life that he had chosen to leave behind. He had regrets, of course but he was also convinced that he'd made the right decision.

Nick stared at the empty crates in the now illuminated baggage car, not really taking in what he was looking at. _"I'm sorry Mom and Dad, but I have to do this."_

Several hours later Nick once again felt the train lurch. He realized that the train must be slowing and preparing to come to a stop at the station in Central and he knew that he had to somehow get off the train without being seen by anyone. He would be in big trouble if anyone caught him and found out that he had stowed away on the freight train, and the boy had no desire to be shipped home after being caught by the local authorities. That did not in any way fit into his plans. Thus the boy thought about his dilemma for a few moments and decided that the best course of action would be to disembark before the train actually reached the station and as the train slowed, Nick slid the door open and peered out.

The sun had risen, probably several hours ago, and the sudden, bright light made Nick's eyes hurt. The boy shielded his eyes, and as his eyes adjusted to the light, he began looking for a safe spot to land. He knew that he didn't have much time so as soon as the train slowed enough for him to be able to land safely the boy jumped.

As he landed, the boy tucked himself into a ball and rolled. He rolled over and jumped to his feet, somehow managing to avoid serious injury from the jump. Wasting no time, the boy quickly distanced himself from the spot where he had leaped from the train.

As he ran, Nick glanced over his shoulder. "I really hope no one saw that."

Once he was a safe distance away from the train station, Nick abruptly stopped. The boy leaned up against a wall and stared off into the distance. "Well, I made it to Central. Now what?"

Having always been one to act first and think later, Nick had neglected to plan what he should do once he arrived in Central. And now that he was there, he had no idea what to do next.

"Damn it," Nick said, shaking his head in frustration. "I probably should have thought this out more before I ran away from home."

As the boy stood and pondered what to do next, he heard the shouts of several people coming from up the street. Ever the inquisitive soul, Nick ran toward the source of the screams. A few yards up the road Nick found a couple of military officers facing off against a couple of armed men. Both the military men and the other men were armed however the stand off wasn't progressing because the armed civilians had a hostage.

The two men were holding a young woman in front of them, using her as a human shield. The military officers had their weapons pointed at the men but were hesitant to fire, lest a stray bullet strike the young woman.

Hoping that no one had noticed him, Nick backed up against the wall. He gazed around the corner and, seeing that the gunmen had their backs to him, he ran toward them. Running at top speed made it nearly impossible to remain quiet but Nick was banking on the fact that the men were to focused on the soldiers to notice his approach. And his gamble paid off. Running as fast as he could, Nick managed to get behind the men before they noticed him.

The two men jumped when they suddenly realized that someone was behind them but it was too late for them to do anything about it. Nick quickly clasped his hands together and dropped to his knees. The boy placed his hands flat down on the ground and metal bars suddenly surrounded the two men.

In their haste to do something about the new threat behind them, the two men had released their hold on the young woman. The woman had quickly taken full advantage of this fact and ran over and hid behind the two military officers.

The two stunned men dropped their weapons when the metal bars suddenly grew out of nowhere and surrounded them and Nick walked over and picked up the two weapons.

"Now guys, you shouldn't play with things like this." Nick waved the confiscated weapons in front of their former owners, tauntingly. "Someone could get hurt."

One of the military officers walked over to Nick and took the guns out of his hand. The man was tall and had blonde, spiked hair, which was slightly darker in the back than in the front. "That was amazing Chief, and you did it without a transmutation circle. I've only met one other person who could do that."

Nick grinned at the man. He hadn't expected to be complimented for his actions by the military man. In fact, he'd anticipated being yelled at, or at the very least lectured for his recklessness. "Piece of cake."

"Have you ever thought about becoming a State Alchemist?"

That seemed like a stupid question to the young boy, since he was far from old enough to join the State Military, however he chose not to comment about this fact out loud. Instead he replied, "Not really. Why?"

"Because the exam's coming up soon and I think you'd have a shot at it."

"How could I" Nick asked, a perplexed look on his face. "I'm not old enough to join the military. Besides, my parents aren't exactly crazy about the State Military. I think if I became a State Alchemist my dad would probably kill me."

The man smiled, a knowing look in his eyes. "Oh come on Chief, it can't be all that bad. I'm sure if we talk to your parents, they'll give you the okay. And if they say yes then I'll speak to my superiors and see if you can take the exam. After what you did today, I'm sure they'll make a special exception and waive the age limit."

Nick thought for a moment and decided that being a State Alchemist might prove advantageous in his quest, since it would give him access to unlimited research material in the state library not to mention much-needed funds to cover his travel expenses. That in itself would be a tremendous help since Nick didn't relish the thought of having to stow away in the cargo hold of trains anymore. That wasn't exactly a comfortable ride, not to mention the trouble he would be in if he ever got caught. He gazed up at the military officer and nodded. "If you can arrange it, I'll take the exam."

The man smiled and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. "Great. I'll go ask the higher ups and then I'll come tell you their answer." He offered his hand to the young boy. "By the way, I'm Colonel Jean Havoc."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Nicholas Elric."

Colonel Havoc nodded. He started to walk away but paused after only a few steps. He turned back to Nick. "So, how exactly do I find you once I have the answer?"

A puzzled look appeared on the boy's face. "I have no clue. I hadn't really thought much about where I would stay. This trip to Central was actually a spur of the moment thing."

At that point, the young woman that Nick had rescued spoke up. "You can come and stay with my family."

Nick hesitated but the young woman ran up and grabbed him by the arm. "I insist. It's the least I can do seeing as how you just saved my life and I won't take no for an answer. Come with me.

"You'd better do as she says kid," Colonel Havoc said, a grin appearing on his face. "Elicia is a very determined young lady when she gets an idea in her head so there really is no point in arguing."

Nick gazed down at the young woman's hand, which was still clutching his arm. "Yea, I get that impression too."

"Since you're going to be at Elicia's house I'll just drop by after I speak with my superiors."

"Okay," Nick said with a nod, giving up his protests about staying with the young woman. "There's no way that I can argue with both of you."

"Come on Nick," Elicia said.

Havoc grinned and waved as Elicia led the young boy away by the hand.

Nick waved back to Havoc helplessly as he allowed the young woman to lead him away. She led him up the street to a large, two story house surrounded by a fence.

"Well this is it. Home sweet home."

Nick gazed up at the large house. "This is your house? It's huge."

"Come on. You have to meet my mom."

Elicia led Nick up to the front door, opened the door and pulled him inside. "Mom, I'm home. And I brought a guest."

"A guest?" a voice called out from the hallway. A middle-aged woman stepped into the foyer and stared at Elicia and Nick. She stared at the young boy in disbelief for a few moments before giving him a warm smile. "Hello. I'm Gracia Hughes. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Nick nodded. "Like wise. My name's Nicholas Elric."

"Nick saved my life Mom," Elicia chimed in.

Gracia's face paled. "Elicia, what happened?"

"I was on my way home when all of a sudden two men ran up to me. One of the men grabbed me by the arm and placed a gun against my neck. That's when I noticed that Mr. Havoc and another military officer were pursuing the men. The men used me as a hostage so that Mr. Havoc and the other man couldn't shoot or apprehend them. I was sure they were going to shoot me but then this kid showed up. He used alchemy and made a prison cell appear out of nowhere. Isn't that amazing?"

Gracia nodded.

"And get this," Elicia went on. "After he captured the bad guys, Mr. Havoc asked the kid if he wanted to take the State Alchemist certification exam. He should be by later to tell Nick whether or not he has special permission to take the test."

Gracia stared at the young boy, a strange look in her eyes. "Aren't you a bit young to be taking the State Alchemist certification exam Nicholas?"

Nick held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes, as though pondering Gracia's question.

"Maybe," Nick said, finally. "However, it's highly unlikely that the military higher ups will allow me to take the exam. And if by some miracle his superiors okay this plan, that still leaves my dad to contend with. And there's no way that he's gonna okay it. And, even discounting all that, there's still the fact that even if none of those things get in the way, I'll probably still fail it and then that, as they say, will be that."

"You won't fail." Elicia chimed in, in a confident tone. The young woman's voice was filled with a certainty that Nick didn't feel. "After what I just saw, they'd be stupid not to choose you. Your dad, on the other hand, I don't know about. But surely he wouldn't say no if it's truly what you want to do."

Nick rolled his eyes but chose not to comment. Instead, he stared thoughtfully into space, contemplating how becoming a State Alchemist could help his quest.

Nick was deep in thought when he was suddenly jarred back to reality by a knock on the door.

Gracia walked over to the door, opened it and there stood Havoc. "Welcome Colonel. Come in."

Havoc nodded his thanks and walked into the foyer.

"Elicia and Nicholas are in the den," Gracia informed him.

"Thanks Mrs. Hughes."

Havoc followed Gracia down the hallway and into the living room, where the others were waiting. Havoc sat down in a chair across from Nick. As he looked over at the boy, a wide grin appeared on the colonel's face. "Okay Chief, you're in."

Nick's jaw dropped. He could hardly believe that the military man was telling the truth. The man must surely be toying with him, having some fun before he gave him the bad news. The news that the State Military had no use for a kid. "You're kidding?!"

Havoc shook his head. "Nope. I told my superiors about what happened today and that your alchemy skills saved Elicia's life and they agreed that the circumstances warranted a reward. You have permission from the state to take the alchemy exam. And when I had gained their permission, I spoke to your dad about it and he said that it was your choice and no one could make it for you."

"I don't know who you spoke to but it wasn't my dad," Nick said, shaking his head in disbelief. (The shock of the situation was such that the boy didn't even think to ask how the colonel had known who his father was or for that matter, how to reach him.) "Unless he's possessed or something. "

"Possessed or not that's what he said," Havoc said. "And that means that in eleven days you'll take the State Alchemist Certification Exam."

Nick's eyes widened in horror. "Eleven days! You're psycho! I can't be prepared for something like that in eleven days."

"You're going to have to be," Havoc said. "After all the trouble I went through in order to arrange for you to even take the test there's no way I'm gonna allow you to back out now."

"Excuse me." Nick stood, bowed to Havoc and Gracia and turned toward the door. "I have to go study now," the boy said, in a hollow sort of voice. "Maybe if I study twenty-four seven until the test I won't humiliate myself too badly."

And with that, Nick left the room.

"Nice attitude chief," Havoc called out after the boy, a wide grin appearing on his face. "You can't fail with a positive view like that."

"Elicia." Gracia turned to face her daughter. "Why don't you go and make some tea for your guest? And keep an eye on him. After what Colonel Havoc just said, and the way he took the news, he may try to hang himself."

"Okay Mom." Elicia jumped to her feet and running out of the room.

"So Colonel," Gracia said turning to face Havoc, with a knowing look. "Did you really speak to Edward, because I have a hard time believing that he agreed to this? Did he really say that it was alright?"

"Uh," Havoc said, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Maybe. I couldn't really be sure because I had to hold the phone like three feet from my ear. But that could've been what he said."

"Now Colonel," she said in a motherly tone, shaking her head ever so slightly. "How long have you known Edward? Do you really think that's what he was saying?"

"I can hope," Havoc said, with a nervous laugh. "Besides, with any luck the kid will already be a State Alchemist before I ever have to find out and then Ed will be the Fuhrer's problem and not mine."

"You don't really believe that do you?" Gracia said. "You've instigated this whole thing and when Edward finds out what you've done not even the Fuhrer himself will be able to save you."

Havoc shook his head. "No. Fullmetal may be good but he hasn't used his alchemy in a fight in a really long time. He's gotta be rusty by now. There's simply no way he could avoid it."

"If you say so," Gracia said, not sounding at all convinced. "We'll find out."

Havoc stood up and bowed. "Well, since we're going to find out I think I'll go and get my affairs in order just in case things don't turn out well."

There was a joking grin on the colonel's face however his eyes held just a hint of worry. Even though the tone of his voice was confident enough, the look in his eyes hinted of his slight dread of the upcoming confrontation with Nick's father.

A/N- And thus ends the first chapter of Nick's story. Sorry if the plot seems too similar to the storyline of FMA but that's just the way it is. Feel free to leave feedback and tell me what you thought.


	2. Thoughts of the Past

Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. just playing around with them a little

Chapter Two - Thoughts of the Past

Gracia walked with Havoc to the door and waved as he walked out to his car. Then, closing the door behind herself, she decided to go and check on Elicia and Nick. She walked upstairs and, once she reached the top of the stairs, Gracia paused and listened. She heard the sounds of Nick and Elicia talking and it was coming from the upstairs study. She walked down the hall and opened the door.

Nick sat on the floor of the study, papers strewn out in front of him. He was practicing drawing various types of transmutation circles while Elicia watched from a spot on the sofa. A cup of tea sat untouched on the coffee table.

"How are things going kids?" Gracia asked as she entered the room.

"Fine," Elicia said.

Nick nodded but said nothing. He continued furiously drawing various transmutation circles on the pieces of paper scattered on the floor in front of him.

"Well I'll leave you to it," Gracia said with a smile. "I just came up to make sure you guys were okay. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." Nick paused his work long enough to look up at the woman and give her a grateful smile.

Gracia nodded, the soft smile still on her lips. "Don't work too hard." With that, she turned and left the study, closing the door behind herself.

When Gracia left the room Nick immediately returned to his studies. He stared at the various transmutation circles that he'd drawn, studying the minute details of each. As he worked, he thought back to the only other time in his life that he'd ever worked this hard.

The first few years of his alchemical training had been easy enough however when he'd started studying the more serious and complex aspects of the science things had gotten much harder.

(Nick had first developed an interest in alchemy at the age of four but it wasn't until he was eight that he really became seriously involved in the science. The boy was extremely bright and he taught himself the basics of alchemy at the age of four, by using books he'd found in his dad's study. Then, when Ed discovered that his son had an interest in alchemy, he began to train the boy. From age four until age eight, his father had taught him about alchemy however not long after he turned eight Nick decided that he wanted to study serious alchemy with a real teacher.

He and his father were practicing alchemy one day when Nick made his desires known. He'd been debating how to bring up the subject for a couple of weeks and that day had just seemed like the right time. "Dad, you've done a great job of teaching me alchemy but I'd really like to study serious alchemy under a real teacher."

"A real teacher huh?" Ed said, gazing over at his son with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I know just the person."

"You do?"

Ed nodded. "Pack your things and tomorrow you and I will take a trip."

Nick nodded, excited about the prospect. He'd been prepared to have an all out argument with his dad over his desires for serious training and yet Ed had seemed to be all for it. The young boy couldn't believe his luck.

That evening Ed walked the short distance over to the home of Winry's grandmother, Pinako Rockbell. When he arrived at her home, he knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back.

Moments later the door opened and Pinako smiled up at him. "Why hello Edward. This is a pleasant surprise. Come in."

Pinako stepped aside and Ed walked through the door. Pinako closed the door behind him and the two of them walked into the living room. Pinako sat down on the sofa and motioned for Ed to sit down beside her, which he did.

"So tell me Ed," Pinako said. "What's on your mind?" She knew that there had to be something specific that he wanted to speak with her about since he hadn't brought along Winry or the kids.

"Nicholas has decided that he wants to study serious alchemy," Ed told her.

"I see," Pinako said, nodding her head. There was no sign of surprise in her voice. She had known that it was only a matter of time before this topic came up and had actually been waiting for it for a couple of years now. After all the boy was Edward's son, not to mention Hohenheim's grandson.

"So I've decided to take him to Dublith to meet my old teacher. She may be willing to take him on as an apprentice, I can't really be sure. I haven't seen her in several years although Al's kept in touch."

"Does Winry know about this?"

Ed nodded. "Yea. I told her about it at dinner and she seems okay with the idea. She's by no means thrilled about it but she didn't out and out forbid it which is an encouraging sign. Which brings us to my reason for being here. I'll most likely be gone for a few weeks at least and I was wondering whether you'd mind coming to stay with Winry while I'm gone. I don't like the thoughts of her being alone with the twins since they're so young and quite the hand full. She'll probably need help."

"Of course I'll come and stay with them," Pinako said at once. She loved spending time with her granddaughter and her great grandchildren and would never pass up an excuse to do so.

Ed smiled. "Thanks Grans, you're the best."

"I know," Pinako said, giving the young man a warm smile. She'd heard that compliment many times before. "I'll come over early tomorrow morning and Winry, the girls and I can walk you and Nicholas to the station."

And so, the next morning, Ed and Nick left Resembool and boarded a train bound for an equally small town by the name of Dublith. Winry didn't exactly agree with the decision but went along with it because it was what Nick wanted and she knew that since he was Ed's son he wouldn't just let the matter drop if she said no. So she, the twins and Pinako accompanied Ed and Nick to the train station and saw them off on their journey.

Before boarding the train, Ed gave each of his twin girls a kiss on the cheek. "Bye sweeties. Daddy loves you both."

Then he gave Winry a hug and a kiss. "I love you honey. Take care of the girls and I'll see you soon."

And with that, Ed and Nick boarded the train. They walked down the isle of the passenger car and sat down in a vacant seat in the back. Ed lowered the window as his family came to stand beside their car.

"You boys be careful," Winry had called out from the platform as Ed and Nick looked out the window of one of the train's passenger cars.

"We'll be fine Winry," Ed assured her. "I'll see you in a week or two and with any luck Nick won't see you for at least a couple of months."

Winry nodded, tears appearing in her blue eyes and threatening to fall. "Good bye. I love you both."

"I love you too," Ed called out.

The sound of the train's whistle alerted the group to the fact that the train would soon depart from the station at Resembool.

"Bye Mom." Nick leaned out the window and waved to his mother. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Nicholas," Winry said, attempting to hold back the tears that glistened in her eyes. "Take care of yourself and come back soon."

Nick waved to his mother and then sat down across from his father. He gazed down at his hands, which he held clasped in his lap. His thoughts wandered back to his mom.

She had told him to come back soon but, as much as he cared for her, in all honesty he didn't want to come back soon. He wanted to learn serious alchemy and he hoped that this teacher that his dad knew could help him with that desire.")

_"Had I only known what Dad had in store for me," _Nick thought to himself as he studied his drawings of transmutation circles. _"But I was clueless."_

(After spending several hours on a train, Ed and Nick arrived in the small town of Dublith.

"Come on kid." Ed stood up and grabbed his suitcase. "This is our stop."

"This little dinky village?" Nick asked in surprise, jumping up to grab his own suitcase from the storage space overhead. "Are you sure about this dad? I don't see how this village can possibly be home to someone good enough at alchemy to take me to the next level."

"Wait and see," Ed said.

Father and son left the train and Ed proceeded to lead the way down the street. Ed led his son across town to a small meat shop, positioned on a corner street.

Ed opened the door and the jingling of a bell announced their arrival as they stepped into the shop. A woman of slightly above average height stood at the counter and as Ed and Nick approached her, a large, muscular man emerged from a back room and came to stand behind her.

For some reason Nick couldn't figure out, the woman seemed surprised by the sight of them. _"That's odd," _Nick thought, noticing the fact that the woman seemed to be staring at his dad with an intense look in her eyes. _"And speaking of odd, I wonder why dad brought me to a meat shop. He told me that he was taking me to see a great alchemist."_

"Hello," Ed said, coming to a stop in front of the counter. Nick came to a stop a few feet behind his dad.

"Hello Edward," the woman said. "To what do we owe this honor?"

Ed grabbed his son by the arm and pulled him forward. "I'd like for you to meet my son Nicholas. He wants to study serious alchemy and apparently I wasn't a good enough teacher for him."

The woman came out from behind the counter and stared down at the boy, who stared defiantly back up at her.

"So," the woman said as she gazed into the young boy's defiant golden eyes. "Why do you want to learn alchemy?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on the young boy's face. He'd never really given much thought to why he wanted to learn alchemy. It was just something to occupy his time and he was good at it.

"I want to make a difference in the world," Nick finally replied. "And since alchemy is the only talent I possess I want to become good at it so that I can help people."

The woman nodded, satisfied with the boy's reply. She turned back to Ed. "You and your son should come to the house for dinner tonight. We'll discuss this further then."

Ed nodded.

And so Ed and Nick left the small shop and spent the next few hours roaming around the small town of Dublith, not that there was all that much to see. In fact it actually reminded Nick of his own home town of Resembool. During this time, Nick thought about the woman that he'd just met.

"So dad," Nick said after awhile. "Who exactly was that woman?"

"Her name is Izumi Curtis," Ed told his son. "And she's the one who taught alchemy to me and my brother when we were children."

"Are you serious?"

Ed nodded. "We studied under her for several months and if you're lucky she'll agree to take you as a student. But I warn you now, she's a tough teacher and should she accept you as her student your training will not be easy. I hope you're ready."

"I am," Nick said, his voice filled with confidence.

"For your sake I hope so," Ed said.

Ed and Nick roamed around Dublith for a couple of hours and then Ed led the way to Izumi's house. Once there he knocked lightly on the door. Then he and Nick stepped back and waited for someone to answer the door.

Moments later the door opened and a strange man waved for them to enter the house.

"Hey Mason," Ed said as he and Nick entered the house.

"Hey Edward," the man named Mason said. "It's great to see you again." Then his gaze shifted to Nick. "And who is your young companion?"

"This is my son Nicholas," Ed said. "Nick this is Mason."

"Hi." Nick gave the strange man a tentative smile.

Mason smiled widely at the young boy. "Izumi told me that she was expecting guests but I didn't know who. This is such a pleasant surprise."

Mason led the way into a small living room where Izumi and her husband sat on a couch. Ed bowed as he entered the room and Nick quickly followed suit.

Izumi motioned for the pair to sit and Ed and Nick took seats on a couple of armchairs, positioned to one side of the couch.

"Edward," Izumi said. "After much thought I have decided that I will teach your son alchemy if he can pass the same test that you had to endure. But since he isn't an orphan like you were when I tested you I feel the need to ask your permission. So, those are the conditions. Do you except them?"

"I do," Ed said, knowing that Izumi wouldn't allow any harm to come to his son.

Izumi nodded and then turned her attention to Nick. "Nicholas, before I accept you as my apprentice you must pass a test. If you fail the test then you go back home to Resembool. However, if you pass the test then I'll teach you serious alchemy. Do you accept those conditions?"

"Yes," Nick said without hesitation.

"Alright then," Izumi said. "We will depart for the island tomorrow. Now that that's settled, we'll have dinner and then you should get some rest. You'll need it. Ed, you and your son can use the room that belonged to you and Al while you trained here."

Ed nodded.

After dinner, Ed and Nick climbed the stairs and entered a room at the end of a long hallway. The room contained two beds, both of which had pillows and blankets. Ed placed his bags down in front of one of the beds, claiming it as his and Nick placed his things beside the other bed.

Nick sat down on the bed. "So dad, exactly what kind of test do I have to pass in order to become her apprentice?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," Ed said. "It wouldn't be right of me to tell you ahead of time and Sensei would be angry."

Nick stared at his dad, one eyebrow upraised. "Are you scared of her Dad?"

"A little," Ed replied honestly. "But I also love her very much. She was like a second mother to Al and me when we trained under her. She's a very good person Nick and if you pass her test, she'll help you take your alchemy to the next level."

Nick's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? That's awesome. I can pass the test, I know I can."

Ed smiled at his son's enthusiasm. "Yes, I'm sure you can. But for now you should probably get some rest. Sensei was correct. You will need it."

Nick nodded. He pulled off his black outer shirt and his shoes and then crawled underneath the covers. The boy was exhausted after having spent several hours on a train and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next morning Nick awoke early and found that he was alone in the room that he'd shared with his father. The boy quickly pulled on his shirt and shoes and then went downstairs.

He located his dad in the kitchen with Izumi and her husband. The three adults were sitting around the table, having breakfast.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Nick asked his dad.

"I thought you could use the rest," Ed replied. "But now that you're awake would you like some breakfast?"

Nick shook his head. His stomach was already full of butterflies and didn't really have any room for food. "No thanks. I'm not really hungry."

Izumi gave the boy a stern look. "Eat Nicholas. You'll need strength for the task to come."

"Yes ma'am," Nick said, sensing that it would be unwise to argue with her.

Nick sat down and began to eat. Izumi's orders hadn't made his appetite return but he forced himself to eat so as not to anger her. He hadn't known his father's old teacher for very long but he already got the feeling that she wasn't someone with whom you messed around with. The fact that his father was somewhat afraid of her put a healthy dose of fear in the boy. Anyone who could scare his dad definitely deserved respect.)

_"And that was the beginning of a hell that defies description," _Nick thought to himself, refusing to reminisce about the training that had almost killed him. Training, that word simply did not do it justice. No torture was a much more appropriate word to describe what he had endured.

A/N- hope you enjoyed chapter two and before you say anything, yes I do realized that Izumi died at the end of the anime. I chose not to acknowledge this fact so my fic is written as though it never happened. She's not the only one either but you'll find out more about that later. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	3. Youngest in the Military

A/N- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Three - Youngest in the Military**

Having just passed the practical skills part of his State Alchemist Certification Exam, Nick followed Colonel Havoc back to his office. Once inside, Havoc walked over to his desk and sat down while Nick stood in front of him, wondering exactly what was next for him.

Colonel Havoc opened his top right desk drawer and pulled a silver pocket watch from its depths. "Here," he said, tossing it casually to the boy. "This is your reward for all your hard work."

"This is all I get?" Nick snatched the watch out of the air with one hand. He opened his clenched fingers and stared down at the silver pocket watch, which had the emblem of the State emblazoned on the front, super imposed upon the presidential seal, which was the six pointed star. This particular symbol was unique to the State Alchemists. "I feel slightly jipped."

At that moment, the door opened and in popped the Fuhrer and the last person on earth that Nick expected or wanted to see. His father.

"So, I heard you missed one of the questions on the written exam?"

His mind barely registering the question, Nick stared open mouthed at his father. "Why are you here?"

"I expected Colonel Havoc to have stuck you on a train to Resembool by now." Ed shot a glaring look in the colonel's direction and the look was cold enough to cause Havoc to cower in his chair, shivering as though the temperature had dropped by several degrees. "But since he didn't and your mother threatened me with bodily harm, I came to take you home." Those words had barely escaped from Ed's mouth when he noticed the silver chain dangling from the boy's hand. Ed glared at Havoc even harder and if looks could kill then the colonel would have dropped dead on the spot. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did. I expressly told you over the phone not to even think about it let alone do it."

Nick stared from his father to the colonel, confusion evident in his golden eyes. "That's not what you told me. You said that Dad told you it was my decision."

Havoc shrank down in his chair, for all the world wishing that he could just sink into the floor. "I might have misunderstood the words being screamed in my ear but it was an honest mistake."

"My ass!" Ed exclaimed, an angry expression appearing on his face as he glared daggers at Havoc. "You did this on purpose."

"You can't prove that Ed."

His hands clenched into fists, Ed took a menacing step toward Havoc who shrank even further into his chair.

"Come on now," the Fuhrer said, silencing the room. "What's done is done and the boy did pass the test. He's now a State Alchemist."

"Fine," Ed said, unclenching his fists and turning to face his son, his face now calm and devoid of emotion. "If this is what you truly want Nicholas I can't stop you. You are now officially a dog of the military. Fuhrer, I hand the boy's leash over to you."

Nick stared at his father, confused. "You mean you're not gonna punish me?"

Ed shook his head, a knowing look in his eyes. "I don't have to. You've done a fine job of punishing yourself. You just don't know it yet."

Nick was staring at his father, completely confused, when the door suddenly opened again and Winry and the Fuhrer's wife entered the room. Nick knew that the Fuhrer's wife's name was Riza but everyone called her Hawkeye, however he wasn't entirely sure where the nickname had come from.

Nick's face paled when he saw his mother and he quickly shoved the watch deep within his pocket, in a futile attempt to hide from her the fact that he was now a State Alchemist.

"What is taking so long?" Winry glanced over at Ed, seeking an explanation from him. "Our train's gonna be leaving soon and if you guys don't hurry, we won't be on it."

"Well Winry," Ed said, watching with an amused smirk as Nick tried to hide the pocket watch from his mother. "It seems we have one too many tickets."

"What are you talking about?" She turned to Edward, staring at him accusingly. "Edward, what did you do?"

"Why's it always me?" Ed wanted to know. No matter what happened, he always somehow managed to get the blame for it. "I'll have you know that your son got himself into this mess all on his own. He had absolutely no help from me."

"My son?" Winry turned her accusing eyes to her son. Ed only referred to the boy as her son when he'd done something wrong. And she knew this for a fact because she herself did the very same thing. She turned to her son, a questioning look in her blue eyes, and demanded, "What did you do?"

"Go ahead Nicholas," Ed said. "Show her what you did."

The boy took a few steps back toward the desk, shaking his head. "I'd rather not if it's all the same to you."

"It's a little late to be changing your mind now Nicholas," Ed said. "You made the choice and now you're going to have to deal with the consequences. And if you're scared of what your mother's reaction is going to be, you should have thought of that earlier."

Nick's eyes widened. His dad should know that he wasn't the type of person who planned things out in advance. He hadn't even had a fleeting thought about what his mother would think about him becoming a State Alchemist.

Winry made a face, a sense of dread descending upon her, caused by the look on her young son's face. "I don't like where this conversation is going." Winry stared at her son, a look of dread on her face. "Nicholas, what have you done?"

Knowing that he had no choice, and that waiting wouldn't make things any easier, Nick slowly pulled the watch from his pocket. As he did so, he saw all the major events of his rather short life flash before his eyes. This was cruel: he wasn't ready to die yet. There were so many things that he had yet to do.

All she had to catch was one glimpse of silver and Winry immediately knew why her son couldn't meet her gaze.

"You didn't!"

"He did," Ed said.

Winry whirled around to face her husband. "This is all **YOUR** fault Edward."

"Why do I always get the blame for everything? It's not **MY** fault," Ed insisted.

"It is so your fault," Winry shouted. "It's your fault because he shares your bloodlines."

Nick stood in the background, watching his parents fight and wishing that they hadn't came to Central. Things would have been so much easier if only they'd remained in Resembool.

"Come on Winry, let's go." Ed placed an arm around his wife's shoulders. "What's done is done and there's nothing we can do about it at this point. Let's leave Nicholas to sort this out on his own."

Winry allowed her husband to lead her from the office, but as she left, she cast one last glance at her son, who still held the silver pocket watch in his palm. A single tear slid down her face but she turned around quickly so that her son could not see it.

"Good luck Nicholas," she whispered as she left. "Be safe."

After Ed and Winry exited the office, the Fuhrer and Hawkeye turned to follow them out into the hallway. As he left, the Fuhrer turned around briefly and gazed at Havoc. "Well Colonel," he said with a smirk, eying Havoc, who was still cowering as far back in his chair as he could get. "I hope you and the boy know what you've gotten yourselves into."

Havoc said nothing. He merely saluted weakly as the Fuhrer left the office. Once everyone but Nicholas was gone, Havoc heaved a sigh of relief and said a quick thank you to the powers that be that he was still breathing.

Nick stared as his parents left the office, torn between two desires. Part of him desperately wanted to run after his parents and stop them from being sad over the choice he had made and yet another part knew that he could not. He had to continue traveling down his chosen path, so that he could undo the damage that he had caused.

"I'm sorry Mom and Dad," Nick whispered as he watched his parents leave.

Once out in the hall Winry ceased allowing her husband to lead her. She whirled on Ed, her blue eyes flashing fire. "I'm warning you now Edward, if anything happens to him there won't be enough auto-mail in the world to put you back together."

"Calm down Winry." A drop of sweat appeared on Ed's forehead as he attempted to placate his wife. He knew that if he didn't calm her down soon he would suffer. Experience had taught him that lesson well. "I'm sure Havoc and the Fuhrer will keep an eye on him."

Winry turned and glared at the Fuhrer. "Somehow I'm less than reassured by that. I saw how well they kept an eye on you, remember Edward?"

Ed laughed slightly but wisely chose not to comment.

"Why don't you two stay here in Central for a few days?" Hawkeye suggested diplomatically in an attempt to prevent the argument from escalating into a full-blown fight. "You can leave once Nicholas gets settled."

"Settled?" Winry exclaimed. "Ed, where's he going to stay? He can't stay in the barracks with the rest of the soldiers. He doesn't exactly fit in you know."

"Mrs. Hughes has agreed to allow Nicholas to stay with her family while he's here in Central," Hawkeye told her before the worried mother burst into tears. "Don't worry. He'll be fine."

That assurance from Hawkeye helped relieve some of Winry's anxiety over her son although the feelings of worry did not go away completely. "I think we should stay here for a few days Edward. Maybe he'll change his mind and come home with us after all."

"We'll stay if that's what you want Winry," Ed said, even though he knew without a doubt that there was no chance that Nick would change his mind. He wasn't exactly sure what the boy was planning but he knew that his son had decided that the best way to reach his goal was to be a State Alchemist and nothing he or the boy's mother did would make him rethink that decision.

_"What are you trying to accomplish my son?" _Ed thought to himself. _"Is it human transmutation you're after or something else?"_

Hawkeye walked over and placed a hand on Winry's shoulder. "If you and Edward are going to remain here in Central then you can stay with me and Roy until you're satisfied that Nicholas is okay and are ready to leave."

"Thank you Riza," Winry said, her voice filled with gratitude as she gazed over at the older woman and offered her a grateful smile.

Hawkeye smiled at the younger woman before turning and giving her husband a meaningful stare. "It's settled then. You and Edward shall stay with me and Roy. And Roy had better behave himself."

Winry gave Ed the same look. "That goes for you too Edward."

The two men gazed at their wives, the same innocent look on both their faces. "Would we do anything to cause trouble?"

"Yes you would," Hawkeye said.

"However if you know what's good for you, you'll be on your best behavior for the next few days," Winry added.

Ed turned to face the Fuhrer. "I don't think they trust us."

The Fuhrer looked from one woman to the next and then back at Ed. "I think that's a pretty accurate assumption."

Ed and Winry accompanied Fuhrer Mustang and his wife back to their estate in the Garden District of Central. That evening they had dinner together and Winry and Hawkeye discussed Nick.

"You shouldn't worry about Nicholas, Winry. Roy and Havoc will keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble. Besides, from what Roy tells me your son is already quite an accomplished alchemist," Hawkeye said in an attempt to alleviate some of Winry's fears. "Exactly how long has he been studying alchemy?"

"For over six years," Winry replied. "He started when he was four."

"That's amazing," Hawkeye said.

"Yes it was," Winry said, a soft smile on her face as she thought of just how smart her son was. "And he taught himself the basics."

That comment captured Roy's attention as well. "Taught himself alchemy at the age of four?"

Winry nodded as she thought back to her son's amazing accomplishment.

(It was nearly lunchtime and Winry was once again searching for her young son. The boy had a bad habit of wandering away when her back was turned and he'd vanished once again. "**NOW** where has that boy wandered off to?" Winry muttered to herself as she walked down the hall.

Winry checked the child's bedroom but found no sign of him. She sighed and began to search the house room by room. The last room she checked, the room he was least likely to be in, was Ed's study. But when she opened the door she found her four year old son sitting on the floor with a piece of chalk clutched in his small hand.

Winry glanced down at the floor and saw the chalk markings on the wood. "Nicholas! Hey, don't doodle on the floor. Your dad's gonna flip out when he comes home."

The child gazed up at his mother with a serious expression in his golden eyes. "I'm not doodling. Watch this."

The child placed his hands on the floor and blue sparks erupted from the drawing and a puff of smoke covered the small area where the drawing was. When the smoke cleared a small figurine of a chick sat in the middle of the small circle that Nick had drawn.

Nick gazed from his creation to his mother, a wide smile on his face.

"Th-that's alchemy isn't it?" Winry gasped as she stared at her son. "How did you do that?"

Nick smiled and held a book up for her to see. The title on the cover of the book read, 'Introduction to Alchemy'. "This book told me how."

Winry gazed at her son. "From a book? Can you really understand this stuff?"

"Kind of," Nick replied. Then he gazed up at his mother, a worried expression on his face. "Did I do something bad?"

Winry smiled at her son. "No, Nicholas you did something amazing. If the alchemists of the world learned about this they would probably faint. Wait until your dad sees."

Nick's smile returned.

Winry offered the child her hand. "Come on Nicholas, it's lunchtime."

The small child happily took his mothers hand and the two of them left the study but Winry glanced back at the book that her son had left lying on the floor, a look of amazement still on her face.

When Ed returned home that evening he found his wife and young son waiting for him on the front porch. Nick smiled and ran to his dad. Ed picked up his son and tossed the child into the air. Then he gave the boy a hug.

"Edward," Winry said. "Ask your son what he did today while you were gone."

Ed placed Nick back on the porch and gazed down at the child, thinking that perhaps he'd done something wrong. "What did you do Nicholas?"

Nick glanced at his mother.

Winry smiled and handed the child a blank piece of paper and a pencil. "Go on Nicholas. Show daddy what you did."

Nick took the paper and pencil from his mother, sat down on the porch and began to draw.

Ed watched, a perplexed look on his face, as his son drew something on the piece of paper that Winry had given him. Nick was leaning over the paper, shielding it so that Ed couldn't see what he was drawing and his curiosity was aroused. Then the child placed his hands down on the paper.

Ed's eyes widened as he watched blue sparks erupt from the paper and then an origami crane appeared amidst a puff of smoke. "Amazing," Ed whispered as he picked up the paper crane and examined it. "Exceptional work."

"Daddy. . ."

Ed glanced down at his small son. "Nicholas you've been in my study haven't you?"

Nick's gaze went to the ground and he nodded slowly.

Ed chuckled as he bent down and scooped the child up into his arms. "It's okay Nicholas, I'm not upset. You have an amazing talent kiddo and I think it would be a real waste if we didn't refine those skills."

Nick gazed at his dad, confused.

Ed smiled. "How would you like for daddy to teach you more alchemy?"

"Yea!" the child exclaimed.

Winry smiled as she watched the touching father-son bonding moment.

That evening Nick fell asleep in his father's arms not long after the family had dinner. Ed smiled down at his son and stood up. "Guess I'll put the little guy to bed," he said softly.

Ed carried his son upstairs to his bedroom, followed by Winry. When they reached the child's room Winry folded down the blankets and Ed lay the child down in his bed. Then Ed pulled the blankets up and tucked them around his son.

"I can't believe he taught himself alchemy," Ed said, his voice still filled with disbelief. "He's so young."

Winry nodded. "Young yes, but also your son. Alchemy's in his blood."

Ed smiled down at his son. "He'll surpass my skills, you wait and see.")

"So Ed, has he surpassed you yet?" Fuhrer Mustang asked with a smirk.

"Not quite yet," Ed said, ignoring Mustang's smirk and thinking back on his son's amazing accomplishment. It really had been amazing for a child so young to teach himself alchemy and to do it so well. "But he's definitely working on it."

"Hmm," Fuhrer Mustang said thoughtfully. "Well he is a full year younger than you were when you became a State Alchemist."

"Heh heh," Ed laughed nervously. "Speaking of, the kid doesn't know that I was a State Alchemist. And I would appreciate it if **YOU** kept your mouth shut about that topic."

"I'll try," Fuhrer Mustang said, an evil glint in his eyes. "But I can't make any promises."

Ed's eyes narrowed. He should have known that Mustang would chose to be that way. He didn't even know why he'd thought the man might have changed since they'd last saw each other.

"I can," Hawkeye said sharply, casting a reproachful gaze at her husband. "Roy won't say a word."

"Hah!" Ed laughed triumphantly.

"Fine," the Fuhrer said sullenly. He knew better than to argue with his wife. She had 'that' look on her face and Mustang knew that if he further pursued the matter he would seriously regret it.

He'd been down that particular road before and he had absolutely no desire to retrace those steps.


	4. Haunted by the Past

Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**CHAPTER FOUR - Haunted by the Past**

Ed and Winry spent the next couple of days in Central keeping an eye on their son, the newest member of the state military. The boy was now a State Alchemist and thus under the authority of the Fuhrer. Winry had hoped that, in time, Nick would realize that he'd made a mistake by joining the military and decide to go back to Resembool with them however, much to her dismay, that did not happen.

On day three Nick, Colonel Havoc, Hawkeye and the Fuhrer all accompanied Ed and Winry to the train station where they would board the train bound for Resembool. Havoc, Hawkeye and the Fuhrer stood in a group and Ed and Winry stood a few steps away. That left poor Nick standing off by himself, not really wanting to be near either group.

As the group all stood at the train station awaiting the arrival of the train, Nick's thoughts went back to the chain of events that had started this whole thing.

(Nick had been lying awake all night, contemplating what he could do to correct the egregious error that had led to the death of his sister. Knowing of only one skill he had at his disposal that could help, after much thought Nick decided to break the laws of both the State and nature and attempt the forbidden act of human transmutation.

He had been studying alchemy for nearly six years and he thought that he just might have enough skill to bring his sister back from the grave. Although he had some doubts, the boy decided that he had to at least try to bring Harmony back seeing as how he blamed himself for her death. He had to make an attempt to fix things, not only for himself but also for Aiya who hadn't deserved to lose her twin under such terrible circumstances.

His decision made, Nick got out of bed and got dressed. Then he snuck out of his room and left his family's home. Having debated on whether or not to attempt human transmutation for some time now, Nick had already gathered together the necessary ingredients.

He ran to the spot where he'd hidden the ingredients he would need, grabbed them and then ran off in the direction of the cave where his sister's accident had occurred. Once inside the cave, Nick quickly walked back to the ledge where his sister's life had ended. He transmuted a ladder and climbed down to the exact spot where Harmony had died and, once there, he placed his box of materials down on the stone floor.

Nick pulled out a chalk pencil and began the task of drawing the transmutation circle that would be required for the human transmutation. The array was very intricate and detailed and it took him the better part of an hour to draw it. Then, once that was completed, he placed the necessary ingredients in the center of the circle.

Nick pulled out the small book in which he kept his notes and checked his list of ingredients. One by one, he checked off the ingredients that composed the human body, making certain that he had everything that would be necessary for the revival of his sister.

"There," Nick whispered. "I think that's everything."

The boy knelt down in front of the array and placed his hands at the circle's edges. Blue light erupted from the circle as the alchemy began. Nick watched in wonder as the blue lights swirled around him but then his look of wonder turned to one of horror when the lights suddenly turned a violent red.

Something was going terribly wrong and yet Nick lacked the ability to stop it. He could only stare in horror as the red lights began to dissolve his right arm. The boy screamed in pain and terror but stopped abruptly when he saw that something in the center of the circle was moving.

Daring to hope that possibly the transmutation had worked after all; Nick gazed at the moving object. "Har. . .mony?"

Then, to his horror, Nick saw that the thing was not the sister that he had lost. In fact, he couldn't figure out what it was. All he knew for sure was that it couldn't possibly be human. The boy cried out in fear, frustration and pain but all those emotions stopped abruptly when the boy blacked out.)

As he stood on the platform with the others, awaiting the arrival of the train that would take him and Winry back to Resembool, Ed thought about the consequences this decision would have on his son. Ed didn't know whether or not his son wanted to join the State Military so that he could gain more knowledge about alchemy and eventually attempt human transmutation again but for the boy's sake he hoped that wasn't the case. The boy's last attempt at bringing back the dead had almost sent him to join them.

(Ed had been sound asleep when he was suddenly jarred back to consciousness by a tiny hand pulling at his arm. He opened his eyes and turned to see Aiya standing at his bedside. The child looked terrified and Ed quickly sat up and embraced her. Ever since the death of her twin Aiya had suffered terrible nightmares and Ed thought she'd had another one.

Ed sat up and pulled his daughter into a comforting hug.

"What's wrong Aiya?"

"Brother's gone." The young girl's eyes were wide and her voice alarmed.

"Where did he go?" Ed asked the child, beginning to grow alarmed himself.

"I don't know," Aiya cried. "I saw him leave the house and head in the direction of the cave but I lost sight of him after that."

"The cave," Ed gasped, beginning to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Oh no!"

Ed quickly awakened Winry and briefly explained the situation to her. Then he threw on some clothes and ran out of the house. He ran as fast as he could in the direction that his son had traveled and when he was halfway there he stopped and gazed in horror at the cave.

The mouth of the cave was alight with vivid lights of blue and red, and there was only one moment in Ed's life when he'd seen anything even remotely like it. On the night he and his brother had attempted to bring their mother back from the dead. A chill ran down Ed's spine at the sight and his dread only deepened as he heard a distant scream.

"Nicholas!" he yelled, running toward the cave as fast as his legs would carry him.

Ed ran into the cave and followed the source of the lights back toward the underground river. When he reached the ledge from which Harmony had fallen, he gazed over the edge and saw his worst fears confirmed. He saw his son lying beside a transmutation circle, in a pool of blood. The boy had attempted the forbidden act of human transmutation and had paid dearly for it.

Ed quickly clasped his hands together and then placed his hands on the ledge. The stones instantly transformed into a staircase and Ed ran down to the spot where his son lay. Dropping to the ground beside the boy, Ed discovered to his great relief that the boy was still alive. However, his attempt at human transmutation had left him gravely injured and Ed knew that he did not have much time. If the boy was to have any chance of survival, he had to get him out of the cave and back up to the house as quickly as possible.

Ed quickly ripped off his coat and wrapped it around the boy. Then he scooped Nick up into his arms and ran back up the stairs and out of the cave. He ran up to the house, thrust the door open and called out to his wife. "Winry, get down here now!"

He heard a couple of thuds from over head and then he saw Winry running down the stairs. She ran toward her husband but stopped short when she saw the blood stained bundle that he held in his arms.

"Oh no," Winry gasped, realizing what the bundle was.

"We have to get the bleeding stopped fast," Ed told her in a commanding voice.

The tone of her husband's voice penetrated the panic initiated by her motherly instincts and Winry nodded. She ran and gathered up clean bandages and other first aid supplies while Ed carried their injured son into one of the downstairs bedrooms.

Ed placed his son on the bed and quickly removed the boy's blood stained shirt. The boy's right arm was completely missing from the shoulder down and blood gushed from the wound.

Winry ran into the room clutching the first aid supplies and she and Ed worked to stop the blood flow that was coming from the boy's massive wound. They finally managed to curb the bleeding, although it did not entirely stop.

"I think that's about as good as it's gonna get at this point," Ed said as he wrapped the bandages tightly around the boy's shoulder. "If we leave the bandages alone for awhile, hopefully the wound will begin to clot."

Winry nodded and left the room. She returned a few minutes later with a bowl of water and a washcloth. She placed the bowl on the table beside Nick's bed, dipped the cloth in the water, wrung out the excess and then placed the washcloth across her son's forehead.

Ed stood beside the bed and stared sadly down at his son. "Why Nicholas? You knew that human alchemy was strictly forbidden so why did you try it?"

An understanding look appeared in her blue eyes as Winry walked over and came to stand beside her husband. She knew all too well what had made her son attempt the forbidden alchemy and deep down so did her husband. He just didn't want to admit it. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, knowing that the gesture wouldn't really bring him comfort but needing to make the attempt. "The heart often tells us to do things our brains know to be wrong. You know this all too well, don't you Edward?"

Ed nodded, unable to speak. Tears formed in his golden eyes, the very eyes that Nick had inherited from him. _"How many generations will be forced to suffer this heartache?"_ he silently raged. _"Will it never end?"_

"Watch over our son," Winry said quietly. "I have to go and check on Aiya. She panicked when you yelled at me and it was very hard to get her to remain in our room. I'll be back as soon as I can get her to sleep."

"Alright."

So Winry left the room in order to tend to their daughter and Ed pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat down to keep a vigilant eye on their son. The boy wasn't in quite as deep a state of unconsciousness now as he'd been in when Ed first found him and he moaned, a pained expression on his face.

"Uhn," the boy moaned. "Harmony, I'm. . .sorry."

"And the guilt you feel now will never truly go away," Ed whispered sadly, gazing at his son. "It will fade with time but never vanish completely. I wish I could take it from you but there's simply no way for me to do that. I'm sorry son."

Ed and Winry spent the next several days taking turns standing vigil at their son's bedside. The boy's condition improved slightly however he still wasn't out of danger. The bleeding from his wound had finally stopped however; there was still the chance that it could become infected, so Ed and Winry were very careful to keep their eyes open for any signs of infection when they changed the bandages that covered the wound. If the wound became infected, it would need immediate treatment so Ed and Winry remained ever vigilant.

While the two parents fought to save their son, they also had to contend with a daughter that had already lost her twin and was now terrified that her older brother was going to die as well. So, while one of the parents tended to Nick, the other had to comfort Aiya and assure her that her brother wasn't going to die.

Five days after the accident Nick fully regained consciousness. Ed was with his son when the boy woke up and as soon as Nick saw him he hurriedly looked away, riddled with guilt over what he'd done and afraid of what his father now thought of him.

Ed placed a comforting hand on the boy's remaining arm. "Thank goodness you're alright. You had us all worried for awhile there kid."

Nick continued to stare at the wall, completely ignoring his father's presence.

Fully understanding the mental torment that his son was enduring and not sure what he could say to ease the boy's pain, Ed stood up and walked toward the door. "There's someone who's been worried sick about you for a long time and I think it would do you both some good if she came in for a visit. I'll be right back."

Nick listened to the sounds of his dad leaving and the door closing behind him. He knew what his dad was doing. He was going to bring in Nick's mother, who would then proceed to give her son a guilt trip he would not soon forget. He lay staring up at the ceiling and preparing for the worst.

Nick soon heard the sound of the door opening once more but he did not look in the direction of his visitor. Instead, he continued to stare up at the ceiling, already feeling more miserable than his mother could ever make him. However, two small arms thrust around his neck forced the boy to look around.

"Aiya!" Nick whispered, his voice breaking at the sight of the twin to the girl he'd tried to bring back from the dead. Nick wrapped his one remaining arm around his little sister. "I'm sorry Aiya. So. . .so very sorry."

Aiya looked up when she heard the sound of her brother's voice and there were tears in her big blue eyes. "You scared me big brother. I thought you were gone for good."

"I'm sorry Aiya," Nick apologized again, clutching his sister as tightly as he could, in his weakened condition.

"I forgive you," Aiya whispered. "But please don't ever scare me like that again Big Brother.")

Ed was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a train whistle. He watched as a train pulled up to the platform, steam shooting from the wheels as it came to a halt at the station. "Well this is our train," Ed said, picking up the suitcase that was sitting beside his leg. He placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Good luck Nicholas. Take care."

Nick nodded.

Winry embraced her son. "I love you Nicholas."

"Come on Winry," Ed said, breaking up the mother, son bonding moment before the mother had the chance to break down into tears. Then he turned to face the Fuhrer and Col. Havoc and when he spoke his words were low and threatening. "If anything happens to him I'm holding the two of you personally responsible."

Havoc took a few steps back away from Ed, but the Fuhrer held his ground. He smirked at Ed. "Your threats don't scare me Edward."

Ed turned and began to walk toward the train. "I don't care whether my threats scare you or not Flame Alchemist," Ed called out casually over his shoulder as he walked away. "Because if you aren't scared that just means I won't have to chase you down and then beat the crap out of you."

_"Flame Alchemist?" _Nick thought to himself, suddenly remembering some old letters that he and his sisters had found while playing around in the attic of their home. The letters were addressed to his dad and signed "The Flame Alchemist." He'd been intrigued by the letters and had read every single one of them and some of the stories told in those letters portrayed the Flame Alchemist as someone to be feared. Nick's face paled and a drop of sweat appeared on the side of his head. _"The Fuhrer's the Flame Alchemist? I think I'm in big trouble. I wonder if it's too late to change my mind?"_ He looked around and saw that none of the adults was paying any attention to him. _"I could still make a run for it."_

However, instead of making a run for it the boy ran up and grabbed his dad by the sleeve. "You never told me that the Fuhrer was the Flame Alchemist!"

"I never told you that there **WAS** a Flame Alchemist." Ed gazed at his son. "You and your sisters found that one out all on your own. However you should have done your research a little better before you became a dog of the military Nicholas."

Nick's jaw dropped and he stared open mouthed at his father, unable to prevent himself from thinking that his father had somehow planned for things to happen like this. "He did this on purpose," the boy mumbled. "I know he did."

He stared back and forth from his father to the Fuhrer. "I am seriously screwed."

Ed and Winry boarded the train, leaving their first-born child in the hands of the Fuhrer and the rest of the state military. However, it was with reluctance on the part of Winry.

"I still don't think we should be leaving him here Edward." As she spoke, Winry gazed out the train's window, watching as her eldest child grew smaller and smaller. "He could get hurt."

Ed shook his head. "I made several members of the military promise to keep an eye on him for me and I'm sure that at least one of them can manage to keep the boy out of trouble."

Winry didn't look convinced however, she knew that there wasn't anything she could do at this point so she changed the subject. "Aiya's going to be heartbroken. We promised her before we left that we'd bring her brother home to her."

"I know," Ed said, thinking back upon the decision that he had made. Despite Winry's doubts Ed knew that he'd made the only decision that he could given the circumstances. "But I had no right to force him to come home. He has to work this out on his own."

"I suppose you're right," Winry reluctantly conceded.

Ed leaned over and placed a comforting hand on his wife's arm. "He'll be alright Winry. Have a little faith."

Winry gave her husband a weak smile. "I'll try."

Winry stared at the hands that she held clasped in her lap without seeing them, her thoughts centered on her son and the situation that he'd gotten himself into. Ed had told her to believe that the boy would be okay and since he was his father's son she supposed that he could take care of himself even at his young age. And yet she could not stop herself from worrying. After all, she was his mother and that was pretty much her job.

Meanwhile, as the train made its way to the small village of Resembool, Ed's thoughts once again returned to Nick's recovery after the failed human transmutation. His mind was still trying to figure out what the boy hoped to accomplish by joining the state military.

_"He must have a reason for joining the military," _Ed thought to himself. _"I just wish I knew what it was."_

(It had been a few days since Nick had fully regained consciousness and during that time, his parents had noticed that he was withdrawing from his younger sister more and more with each passing day. When he'd first regained consciousness he had tried to comfort her but as time went on it was as if the mere sight of her caused him pain. He refused to even look at her.

Winry commented on this fact one afternoon after she finished changing the boy's bandages. "Edward, have you noticed that Nicholas refuses to even look at Aiya now?"

"I've noticed," Ed said.

"Do you think it's possible that he somehow blames her for what happened?" Winry said, tortured by the very thought.

Ed shook his head. That possibility had never even entered into his mind. The bond between the siblings was very similar to the one that he shared with Al and Ed knew without a doubt that there was no way that Nick blamed his little sister for what had happened. In fact, Ed was nearly one hundred percent sure that Nick blamed himself for what had happened and that that was the reason why he was unable to face his sister. "No. I think it hurts him to look at her because she and Harmony are identical twins. Every time he looks at Aiya he sees the sister he was unable to save and that sight haunts him."

Tears formed in Winry's eyes. "The sight of his sister causes him pain so he chooses not to look at her which in turn causes her pain."

Ed nodded. "But it'll be okay. He'll get passed that. All he needs is a little more time to heal. He and Aiya have always been extremely close and there's nothing that will ever change that."

"I hope you're right Edward."

_"Me too," _Ed thought to himself.)

Thankfully Nick had gotten over the pain that seeing Aiya caused him however it was now apparent to Edward that his son was still traumatized by the tragedy that had taken the life of his sister. And now he had chosen to join the State Military for reasons Edward could only guess at.

_"I hope you find what you're searching for Nicholas," _Edward thought as the train sped away from Central and away from his first born. _"And I hope you put your demons to rest."_

A/N- and thus ends chapter four of Nick's story. hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave feedback. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	5. Hand Me Down Title

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Five - Hand Me Down Title**

Nick had been in the military for a couple of days when he was summoned to the Fuhrer's office. He was standing outside Central HQ, not really doing much of anything except wasting time, when he was approached by Colonel Havoc. The young boy heard the colonel's approach and he looked up into his superior's face as Havoc came to a stop a few feet away from the spot where he stood.

"Hey kid," Havoc said, offering the young boy a smile. "The Fuhrer wants to have a word with you."

"Why?" Nick's face paled when his superior informed him that the Fuhrer wished to speak with him. The boy's mind worked frantically, trying to remember anything that he could have done during his brief stint in the military to get himself into that level of trouble. Nothing immediately came to mind. _"You know, it's bad when you're in trouble so much that you can't remember what you've done."_

"He didn't say," Havoc replied, not understanding the kid's concern over the situation. "But I'm sure it's nothing. Probably wants to formally congratulate you on becoming the youngest State Alchemist ever or something like that."

"I doubt it." Nick sighed and followed Col. Havoc into HQ.

Havoc led the boy to the Fuhrer's office and then abruptly abandoned him. "Here you are kid. Come and find me once the Fuhrer's done with you." With that, Havoc walked off.

Nick debated running away but quickly decided against it. He took a deep breath, swallowed hard and knocked on the door. Then he took a step back and silently prayed that by some miracle the Fuhrer wouldn't be in his office.

No such luck.

"Enter."

Nick opened the door and slowly entered the office. He closed the door behind himself and walked toward the Fuhrer's desk, his gaze focused on Mustang and his heart racing. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Welcome kid," the Fuhrer said, giving the boy a rare and somewhat suspicious, smile. Mustang gestured toward the chair that was positioned in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

Nick bowed and sat down in the chair in front of the Fuhrer's desk.

"Now then," the Fuhrer said, opening a desk drawer and pulling out a large envelope. He handed the envelope across the desk to the kid. "I've issued you your official state title. It's a symbolic second name and, like the pocket watch, is given out to each new State Alchemist. Normally I'd give it to the alchemist's direct superior but in your case I wanted to issue it to you personally."

Nick took the envelope in his hand and opened it. He pulled out a piece of paper with the state crest at the top and began to read. "We give the name Fullmetal to thee Nicholas Elric in the name of Fuhrer Mustang." The boy made a face. "Fullmetal?"

"Yes," the Fuhrer said. "The title is relative to your specialty and yours is Fullmetal. The Fullmetal Alchemist. From this moment on that is the military code name by which you will be known."

Nick nodded, grateful for the fact that his summons to the Fuhrer's office hadn't been because he was in trouble.

"Alright then Fullmetal," the Fuhrer said. "You are dismissed."

Nick stood up and bowed politely to his superior and then he turned and walked toward the door. The young boy exited the office and went in search of Colonel Havoc as he'd been ordered before his meeting with the colonel. He found his direct superior in his office, just where'd he'd expected Havoc to be, leaning back in his chair and gazing at the ceiling, also expected.

"So kid," Havoc said leaning forward and focusing his gaze on the boy as Nick walked into the office. "What did the Fuhrer want with you?"

"He gave me my official state title," Nick said, obviously more relaxed now than he'd been before his meeting with the Fuhrer.

"I see. So what is it?"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist."

Havoc's eyes grew large. "Did you say Fullmetal?"

Nick nodded.

"Wow," Havoc said, running a hand through his spikey blonde hair. "That was the one title that I thought the Fuhrer would never recycle."

"Recycle?" Nick was immediately confused.

Havoc nodded. "You're not the first State Alchemist to have that name. There was one before you and he was a legend."

"Really?"

"You mean you've never heard of him chief?" Havoc asked, amazed.

"No." Nick shook his head wondering why Havoc thought it strange that he hadn't heard of the previous Fullmetal Alchemist. It wasn't as though he'd known anything about the State Military before he'd joined their ranks. The subject had just never came up in his life before his arrival in Central.

"Hmm," Havoc said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'll have to tell you about him sometime. However, it won't be today because I'm really busy. And if I don't get this work done soon the Fuhrer will have my head mounted on the wall behind his desk. But since I have no missions for you at present, you may go."

Nick nodded and left the office.

* * *

The next day, during a rare slow period, Col. Havoc gathered together some of the military personnel that were around when Ed was a State Alchemist and informed them that Mustang had given the kid Ed's title. And just as it had been with Havoc they were all shocked that Fuhrer Mustang had chosen to give Nick the title that Ed had born during his time among the ranks of the State Alchemists.

The group stood out in the hallway just outside Havoc's office.

"No way," Lt. Col. Breda said.

"Believe it," Col. Havoc said. "I saw the kid's certificate with my own eyes. Mustang gave him Ed's title."

"That's weird," Major Cain Fury said. "I remember how Ed and the Fuhrer got along and I find it hard to believe that Nick was given Ed's title."

"Well he was," Havoc said. "The Fullmetal Alchemist. And he's going to be sent out on his first mission soon. So we'll see what kind of State Alchemist he'll make."

* * *

News of Nick's title traveled fast among the military personnel and by the end of that day everyone at Central knew that the newest and youngest State Alchemist had been given the title the Fullmetal Alchemist. Some of them were aware of the significance of this fact however many had joined the military after Edward left so they didn't understand why such a fuss was being made over what title a young alchemist had been assigned.

The Fuhrer was sitting in his office doing paper work, unaware of the buzz that his choice of titles for Nick had caused. He was engrossed in the paper work that was stacked on one corner of his desk when the door to his office was suddenly thrust open and a tall man wearing glasses entered the office.

"Welcome back General Hughes," the Fuhrer said not even glancing up from his paperwork. He didn't have to look up in order to know who it was that had entered his office. There was only one man who would dare to enter his office so boldly, with no fear of consequences.

"Good to be back." Hughes threw himself unceremoniously into the chair in front of the Fuhrer's desk, placing his feet on the corner of the desk. Wasting no time, Hughes immediately questioned his long time friend about an interesting piece of information that he had picked up while on his way to the Fuhrer's office. "Hey on my way here I heard some people talking about the Fullmetal Alchemist's upcoming mission but that can't be right. There's no way you managed to convince him to rejoin the military. Did you?"

Mustang smirked, an evil glint in his coal black eyes. "Not exactly. But I got the next best thing."

Hughes' eyes widened in surprise at the implication. "You didn't? There's no way."

"Lieutenant!" the Fuhrer called out.

A man entered the office and saluted. "Yes sir?"

"Go and find Fullmetal," the Fuhrer ordered. "And once you've found him bring him here."

"Sir." The man saluted and left the office.

"I still don't believe it." Hughes said.

A few minutes later the lieutenant returned and he was followed closely by Nick, who was once again wearing a confused expression in his golden eyes. "Here's Fullmetal sir."

"Thank you Lieutenant. You're dismissed."

The lieutenant saluted and left the office.

"You sent for me sir?"

Hughes stared in awe at the young boy standing before him. He was the exact image of Edward when he was young. Same small build, same long blonde hair and the same golden eyes. _"I don't believe this," _Hughes thought to himself. _"He looks just like Ed." _

"Fullmetal," the Fuhrer said, an obnoxious smirk on his face as he turned his gaze away from the boy and back to General Hughes. "I'd like you to meet General Maes Hughes, my second in command. Hughes, this is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Nicholas Elric."

"Pleased to meet you sir."

"Like wise." Hughes smiled at the boy, a kind expression on his face.

"That's all I needed," the Fuhrer said to the boy. "You're dismissed Fullmetal."

Nick nodded and left the room.

Once the boy was gone Hughes turned to face the Fuhrer, who wore a very smug look on his face. "I can't believe you got Ed's son to join the military. I'll bet he wasn't happy about that."

"That's an understatement," the Fuhrer said, his brow crinkling at the memory. It was a moment that was likely to haunt him for the rest of his life. "However that's beside the point. I want you to keep an eye on the kid and keep him out of trouble."

"Is that a fact?" Hughes said, an amused grin on his face. "And why's that? Are you afraid of what Edward will do to you should something happen to the kid?"

"No, I have no fear of Ed. However the kid is a good alchemist and could eventually prove to be useful so I would rather nothing happen to him. And on that note, your wife agreed to let the boy stay at your house while he's in Central."

"That's fine," Hughes said, nodding his head in agreement with his wife's decision.

"Good," the Fuhrer said. "Not that you really had a say in the matter anyway. Gracia decided for the both of you when the kid first arrived here in Central."

Hughes just smiled. "Well she knows what's best. Besides I can't very well refuse hospitality to Ed's son."

"Why not Maes?" the Fuhrer said with a smirk. "Are you afraid of what Ed would do if he found out you tossed his kid out onto the street?"

"Absolutely," Hughes said without hesitation, not even attempting to hide the fact that he was somewhat afraid of what Ed could do to them if he was provoked. And being a father himself, Hughes knew that the one sure fire way to set Ed off would be to mess with his son and that was a path that the General had no desire to go down.

A/N- just like with Izumi I realize that Hughes died in the anime (although I personally refuse to acknowledge that fact. Didn't happen) but I wanted him in this fic so he is. And I actually explain it in a later chapter but you'll have to wait for that one. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	6. Distractions in Central

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Six - Distractions in Central**

Nick had only been a State Alchemist for a few days and he was finding his new status a little hard to get used to. It still felt weird when he passed random soldiers and they stopped what they were doing to salute him. Weird and also somewhat annoying. Nick preferred anonymity however unfortunately it seemed that everyone in Central knew who he was.

_"This is weird," _Nick thought to himself as he made his way to the First Branch of the National Library. He'd heard stories of the legendary alchemy floor that was housed in the First Branch and now that he was a State Alchemist Nick decided to go and see it for himself.

Nick climbed the steps that led up to the library, only to be stopped by a uniformed man.

"Hold it kid," the man said, placing a hand to Nick's chest and halting the young boy's progress. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Inside," Nick replied as though that should be completely obvious to anyone with even half a brain.

"Afraid not kid," the guard said, shaking his head at the young boy. "The First Branch is restricted and for military use only."

"Oh," Nick said, inwardly berating himself for being so stupid. He grabbed the chain that was clipped to his belt and pulled his silver pocket watch from his pocket. He then held the watch up for the guard to see.

The guard's eyes widened in surprise. "You're a State Alchemist?"

Nick nodded.

The guard quickly jumped to attention, saluted the young alchemist and stepped aside.

With a grin to the guard Nick entered the library and, once inside, the boy was instantly amazed. He'd never seen so many books assembled in one place in his entire life. His dad's study held a fairly large collection of alchemy books however that collection paled in comparison to this one. The young boy walked around the library, his eyes wide, amazed at the sheer volume of books that the library housed.

The boy was walking around, taking in the sights, when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Not overly happy about the gesture, owing to the fact that he didn't like to be touched by anyone, Nick turned around and gazed up at a very stern looking soldier.

"What are you doing here boy?" the soldier barked, glaring down at the young boy that was standing in front of him.

"I'm just looking around at the moment," Nick replied, at a loss for what he could have done to upset the guy so much. He'd only been here for a few minutes and had yet to even touch any of the books.

"You're not supposed to be here," the soldier said gruffly. "This is a restricted area, for military use only."

"I've been through this already," Nick said with a frustrated sigh, showing the man his pocket watch. "How exactly do you think I got past the guards at the front door?"

"Where did you get this?" the soldier snapped, jerking the watch from Nick's grasp and completely ignoring the logic behind the question that the young boy had asked.

"I earned it," Nick said angrily, his eyes flashing fire as he attempted to snatch the watch back from the soldier.

The soldier held the watch out of Nick's reach and sneered down at the boy. "A likely story."

Nick gasped as he felt something cold and heavy snap around his wrist. He gazed down and stared at his left wrist, around which was wrapped a silver handcuff. He gazed back up at the soldier, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What the hell?!"

The soldier used Nick's moment of surprise to his advantage, quickly pulling the boy's other arm around and cuffing it as well. Nick stared down at his hands, which were now handcuffed in front of him. This had to be the height of stupidity.

"I think we'll let you explain to the Fuhrer exactly how you acquired that watch."

Nick rolled his eyes and sighed. The Fuhrer already knew how exactly he'd acquired the watch however the soldier refused to believe it. Nick figured that the only way to get the message through the man's thick skull would be to let Fuhrer Mustang tell him. "If you must."

The soldier grabbed Nick roughly by the arm. "Come with me."

Nick smirked at the soldier's unbelievable stupidity as the man led him away. He could easily have escaped since the idiot had cuffed his hands together where they could easily touch and he'd used metal handcuffs on top of that, but Nick decided that this might be an interesting diversion. He wanted to see the look on Fuhrer Mustang's face when the soldier turned up with a State Alchemist in handcuffs.

_"This should be good," _the boy thought to himself, an evil grin spreading across his face. Nick wasn't normally someone who liked to watch people suffer but this soldier had annoyed him beyond the breaking point and the boy decided to let him get what he was asking for.

The soldier led Nick back to Central HQ and down the hall to the Fuhrer's office.

"You're brave," Nick said in a slightly mocking tone of voice. "Barging in on the Fuhrer unannounced."

"Shut your mouth boy!" the soldier snapped, once again glaring down at the young boy. "I'll be rewarded for capturing a trespasser to the First Branch. Not to mention a thief."

"Yea you keep thinking that," Nick said with an evil grin.

Completely ignoring the boy's words the soldier knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The soldier opened the door and entered the office, pulling Nick along behind him.

Fuhrer Mustang glanced up from his paperwork and his eyes narrowed as his gaze fell upon the soldier and Nick, who was wearing handcuffs and an obnoxious smirk. "What is the meaning of this Major Somers?"

"I caught this boy trespassing in the National Library's First Branch," Major Somers said, a note of triumph in his voice.

Fuhrer Mustang's gaze went to the boy who stood in the middle of the room, his hands still cuffed together.

"I tried to tell him," Nick said with a shrug as the Fuhrer's questioning eyes fell upon him. "But Major Stupidity here wouldn't listen to me."

"Impudent boy, show the Fuhrer some respect," Major Somers said angrily, apparently missing the insult that had been aimed at him. "Sir this boy tried to tell me that he's a State Alchemist. But he obviously stole the watch from another alchemist."

Fuhrer Mustang shook his head. "You're lucky that boy's a good sport Major."

That comment completely confused the major. "Sir?"

Not waiting for the Fuhrer to explain why he was lucky, Nick clasped his hands together and the cuffs around his wrists exploded in a spray of blue sparks and a puff of smoke.

Major Somers stared at the boy in disbelief. "H…how did you do that?"

"I'm talented," Nick said with a smirk. "Now can I have my watch back?"

Major Somers still wasn't convinced that Nick was really a State Alchemist and he hesitated, his gaze shifting back to the Fuhrer.

"Enough," Fuhrer Mustang snapped, weary of this. "Give Fullmetal the watch back now or face disciplinary action."

"Fullmetal?" Major Somers said, gazing at the young boy in shocked amazement. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Nick nodded.

Looking rather sheepish Major Somers pulled the silver pocket watch from his pocket and handed it to the boy. "Sorry for the misunderstanding."

Nick snatched the watch back from the major and clipped the chain back to his belt.

"Major Somers."

The major jumped to attention and saluted. "Sir!"

"You're dismissed," Fuhrer Mustang said, making no attempt to hide the annoyance in his voice. "Get out of my sight."

"Yes sir." The major saluted once again and then turned and left the office.

Chuckling softly under his breath Nick turned to follow the soldier but stopped short at the sound of his name.

"Nicholas."

Nick turned back around. "Sir?"

"That was amusing and all," Fuhrer Mustang said with a smirk. "But if something like that ever happens again, just beat the culprit up. Please don't drag me into it again."

Nick's eyes narrowed at the accusation. How could the Fuhrer blame him for this? "This wasn't my fault," the young boy snapped, fully intending to let the Fuhrer have it for accusing him of doing this on purpose. Then he paused, as the full meaning of the Fuhrer's words sank in. "Wait a minute. . .did you just give me permission to beat up military personnel?"

Fuhrer Mustang nodded.

"And if they outrank me?" Nick wanted to know.

"As a State Alchemist your rank is equivalent to that of a major," Fuhrer Mustang said. "So it's highly unlikely that anyone that outranks you will make such a mistake but if a superior officer is that stupid then yes, by all means, beat them up."

"Cool!" Nick said.

"All right Fullmetal you're dismissed."

Nick bowed and left the office. "Well that was amusing."

As Nick walked down the hall away from Fuhrer Mustang's office, he saw Major Somers leaning against a wall. There was an angry scowl on the man's face as he watched Nick walk away from Mustang's office and it was obvious that the soldier heartily disliked him. "I don't understand how a runt like you ever became a State Alchemist."

That comment struck a nerve with the boy. **"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!!!"**

"Calm down kid," the major said quickly, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Nick managed to curb his temper but it took every ounce of self control that he possessed.

"So who's your superior kid?"

Nick smirked at the question, meant as a distraction in order to get his thoughts off of the short comment. Nosey guy, what business was that of his? "The Fuhrer, same as you."

The man clenched his hands into fists. "You little smart aleck."

"I know, I know," Nick said with a smirk. "I'm a real pain in the ass."

Major Somers said nothing to contradict the boy's statement, not that Nick had really expected him to. Nick turned away from the major and began to walk down the hall. He was bored with this conversation and he still wanted to visit the National Library.

"You think you're something special cause you're a State Alchemist," Major Somers said bitterly, a sneer upon his face. "I came to Central all the way from the Northern region in order to take the alchemy exam only to arrive here and find out that I missed it. And not only that but that an eleven year old brat had been chosen as the newest State Alchemist."

"You know you really shouldn't blame other people for your problems."

The major's hands clenched into fists. "Why you. . . If you weren't such a puny little thing I'd. . ."

**"PUNY!" **Nick's eyes narrowed. "That's it. Come on, we'll take this outside and find out whether or not it would have mattered if you'd made it here in time for the alchemy exam."

"You little. . ."

"Less talking, more walking," Nick said over his shoulder, continuing on his way to the door.

Nick led the way out to the courtyard, followed a short distance behind by the major. Once they were outside, and a safe distance from the building, Nick stopped and turned to face the major. "Alright let's go. You and me, one on one. Alchemy only, no hand to hand contact allowed. We'll find out once and for all who's the better alchemist."

"You're out of your mind boy," Major Somers said, gaping at the blonde kid in disbelief. "You don't stand a chance against me."

"I've heard that one before," Nick said, not at all intimidated by the man's words. "But if you wanna play like that, fine. I'll tell you what, if you win then I'll give up my title of State Alchemist. How does that sound?"

"Have it your way boy but I warned you."

"Yea, yea I know. You don't wanna hear about it when I get hurt. I've heard it all before. Now let's do this."

The major nodded and pulled a chalk pencil from his jacket pocket. He knelt down and began to furiously draw a transmutation circle. Nick watched intently as the man furiously scribbled on the sidewalk. "That must be a serious pain in the ass," Nick commented dryly as he watched the major draw.

Intent upon drawing his transmutation circle the major ignored the boy's comment.

Nick waited until the major's array was nearly complete and then he clasped his hands together and placed them on the ground. Blue sparks shot across the ground and the earth beneath the major's transmutation circle shifted and turned into a clay statue.

The major stared at the clay horse that now stood where his array had been only a few seconds before. The man groaned under his breath, shaking his head in dismay. Without the array his transmutation wouldn't work and thus he had no hope of fighting the boy.

"Have you seen enough?" Nick asked with a smirk, gazing down at the flustered major. "You wouldn't stand a chance in a real battle, you'd be dead before you finished your array. And I gave you a head start, which a true enemy would not have done."

The major jumped to his feet. "You little brat!" he yelled, running toward the boy.

* * *

"Col. Havoc you need to come and see this!"

"What is it Fury?" Col. Havoc asked.

"Your new subordinate is out in the courtyard fighting with Major Somers," Major Fury explained. "And the kid's actually winning."

This information came as something of a shock to the colonel. Despite the fact that the major was a complete and utter asshole, he was highly trained in combat and was also an alchemist. And although the colonel knew from first hand experience that the boy was a highly accomplished alchemist himself, the major had much more experience using his skills in combat.

Col. Havoc jumped to his feet. "This I've gotta see."

* * *

Nick stood his ground as the major ran toward him even though the man was several times his size. The man was such an idiot that Nick just couldn't bring himself to fear the guy. Major Somers ran head long at the boy and when he reached Nick he swung his fist in the direction of the boy's face.

"So much for alchemy only," Nick muttered as he blocked the man's blow with his auto-mail arm. He threw his arm forward as he blocked and the major was knocked back a few feet which Nick used to his full advantage. He ran toward the man and slid his feet underneath the major's.

The move caught Major Somers completely off guard and he lost his balance. He fell backward, landing hard on his backside.

Nick jumped to his feet and stood over the man, a smirk on his face. "Have you had enough yet?"

In answer to the boy's question Major Somers growled low in his throat and lunged at him.

Nick easily sidestepped out of the way of the man's clumsy attack and watched with an amused smirk as he once again lost his balance and fell to the ground, face first. The man may have been combat trained but he'd lost his temper and thus lost any hope he may have had of winning this fight.

"This is great," Nick said, the smirk still on his face. "He's beating himself up."

"I. . .don't. . .like. . .you." Major Somers panted, out of breath, as he got to his feet.

Nick placed his hand on his chest, just about his heart. "Heartache. Oh. . . wait a minute. I just realized that I don't care."

Seeing red Major Somers again ran toward the boy.

The major's anger against the boy blinded him to everything else and left him completely unable to form a battle strategy that would allow him to come out on top in this fight. As the major neared him Nick leapt lightly into the air, did a back flip using the major's head as a springboard, and landed behind him. At that point Nick grabbed the major's arms and pulled them behind his back.

"Enough," Nick growled as the man struggled.

Hearing nothing the boy said, Major Somers struggled to free himself from the boy's hold and Nick realized that he didn't have the physical strength required to restrain the large man. So instead he fell backwards and, using his body weight as leverage, flipped the man over his head.

Major Somers flew through the air and landed with a dull thud. The man wasn't knocked unconscious yet he lay still where he fell. He had lost the will to fight and lay on the ground, a scowl on his face and pure, unadulterated hatred glaring in his eyes.

Nick was surprised when he heard people clapping behind him. The boy turned and saw that he and Major Somers had acquired a small audience at some point during their fight.

Also hearing the applause and seeing an opportunity to get revenge against the young alchemist Major Somers quickly got to his feet. "Col. Havoc I'm glad you're here sir. This boy attacked me and I demand that you do something about it."

"Dammit," Nick swore, turning to glare at the major. "How many times are you gonna try to get me into trouble today? Can't you just accept the fact that I beat you fair and square?"

Col. Havoc opened his mouth to say something to Nick but to his surprise Major Fury spoke up.

"You're a liar," Major Fury said angrily, glaring at Major Somers. "I overheard the whole exchange and this fight was a mutual agreement between the two of you. Nick didn't attack anyone."

Major Somers' eyes widened.

Major Fury went on. "And you didn't even follow the rules that the two of you had agreed upon prior to the fight. It was supposed to be a fight using alchemy only but when Nick bested you with his alchemical skills you resorted to physical attacks. And you still lost so now you're trying to get the boy into trouble with his superior. That's low."

"Despite the circumstances the boy still engaged in battle with a superior officer," Major Somers pointed out. "And there is no excuse for that."

"Technically you and the boy are of equal rank," Col. Havoc said with a smirk. "And as I outrank you both, I'll decide what is inexcusable."

"**WHAT**?" Major Somers exclaimed.

"What is going on out here?"

The group turned and watched as Fuhrer Mustang walked across the courtyard toward them.

Major Somers retold his complaint about Nick while the Fuhrer listened, his face showing no emotion. Then, when the major had finished, the Fuhrer spoke. "You lost a fight, get over it."

"But the boy. . ." the major began.

"Did nothing wrong," Fuhrer Mustang said harshly, beginning to lose his patience with the man. "I gave him permission to beat up stupid people and, while this wasn't exactly the type of stupidity I had in mind when I issued the order, the fact remains that you deserved what you got. I trust that in the future you'll think twice about who you insult. Now drop it or you and I will go a round and I can assure you that I won't go as easy on you as the kid did."

The threat of a fight with Fuhrer Mustang effectively put a stop to all of the major's complaints, after all, only a fool would welcome that scenario. The man glared at Nick for a few moments before he stormed off.

"Alright," Fuhrer Mustang said, addressing the group of soldiers that had gathered to watch the fight. "The show's over. Back to work."

The soldiers all saluted and walked off, in different directions.

Nick remained where he was, uncertain of what he should do. He had no idea whether or not either of his superiors planned to yell at him over what had happened and didn't know whether or not he was free to go.

His unspoken question was soon answered, however. Col. Havoc grinned as he approached the boy and when he reached the spot where Nick was standing the colonel placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That was impressive Chief. You really were a great find."

And with that Col. Havoc, Fuhrer Mustang and Major Fury walked away, leaving Nick to stand alone in the courtyard completely and utterly confused by all that had happened.

_"Weird," _Nick thought to himself.

A/N - and this is the end of chapter six. Hope you enjoyed and until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	7. A Precious Gift

**Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter Seven - A Precious Gift**

It was approaching mid-morning and Nick was preparing to leave the Hughes' residence. He'd spent the three weeks since becoming a State Alchemist doing extensive research on advanced alchemical theories. The National Library had an extensive alchemy floor and Nick was taking full advantage of the abundant research material housed within its walls.

Nick told Elicia where he was going and when he expected to return (since he was staying with them he felt that they had a right to know his whereabouts) and then he left the house. The boy walked the short distance to the National Library and quickly ascended the stairs that led to the entrance. Once at the top Nick pulled his silver pocket watch from his pocket and held it up so that the two military policemen guarding the entrance could see that he had clearance to enter the building. After his first experience with the MPs that guarded the first branch this was always the first thing that Nick did.

The two MPs saluted and stepped back to allow Nick entrance into the library. Nick was reaching for the door handle, preparing to enter, when he heard a familiar but completely unexpected voice call out from behind him.

"Nicholas!"

Nick turned around and saw his dad and his little sister Aiya standing a few yards away. Nick glanced back at the MPs, an apologetic expression on his face since he'd bothered them for nothing. "Sorry guys, change of plans."

Nick turned and jogged down the steps, coming to a stop at the spot where his dad and sister stood. "What are you guys doing here?" Nick asked his dad. "I still haven't changed my mind if that's what you're thinking."

Ed shook his head and gazed down at his daughter. "No Nick that's not it. Aiya was really upset when she found out that you weren't coming home. She barely ate or slept so I decided that the best thing for her would be to bring her to Central so that she could see you."

The little girl who had been standing so quietly next to Ed suddenly ran over to Nick and threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. "I missed you Big Brother."

"I missed you too kiddo," Nick said, hugging the little sister whom he hadn't seen in several weeks.

Aiya abruptly released her grip on him and stared up at Nick with a sad expression on her face. "Why did you go away Big Brother? Was it because of something I did?"

"Of course not Aiya," Nick said hurriedly, in a comforting voice. "I just had something I had to do. It had nothing to do with you I promise."

Not really sure if his words were true and yet wanting to believe Aiya wiped away her tears and nodded.

"Why won't you come home Big Brother?" Aiya asked in a soft voice.

"I'm sorry Aiya," Nick said, genuinely sorry for the grief that he continued to cause her. "I have some things that I have to do but I'll be home in no time. You wait and see."

Aiya gazed at her brother and gave him a hesitant smile. She desperately wanted to believe that the words her brother spoke were the truth.

Nick stared into his sister's large blue eyes, eyes which held so much sadness. The boy quickly decided that he needed to spend some time with Aiya, to show her that it wasn't her fault that he'd left Resembool. He knew that he couldn't continue on with his mission if he were worried about his sister and he loved her too much to make her suffer on his account.

Nick stood up and held out his hand to her. "Come on Aiya. I'll give you the grand tour of Central."

Aiya nodded and took her brother's outstretched hand.

Nick turned to his dad, Aiya's hand still gripped in his. "Do you wanna come dad?"

Ed shook his head, decided that the two siblings needed some time alone together. "No, that's okay. You kids have fun but Nick make sure you keep a close eye on your sister."

Nick nodded. "I will."

"Okay then," Ed said. "I'll meet you kids back here at dusk."

"Okay. Come on Aiya."

Nick had only been in Central for a few weeks but during this time he'd thoroughly explored the city. Now he had fun showing his sister some of his favorite stops.

One of those stops was the large park and when they arrived there the two siblings chose a seat on one of the benches. They sat in silence for a bit, watching birds and small animals go about their business.

"So Aiya," Nick said after awhile. "What do you think of Central? I know it's quite a bit more cramped than Resembool but it's not too bad."

Aiya smiled up at her brother. "It's great Nick."

Aiya had attempted to hide it but Nick was very perceptive and he picked up on the slight note of sadness in her voice. "Aiya, I wish I could come home with you and dad but I can't right now."

"I understand Brother," Aiya said softly. As she spoke the young girl reached into her pocket and pulled something out. Aiya held her hand out to her brother, her fingers closed around an unknown object.

Confused, Nick held out his hand, palm up. Aiya placed her hand on top of his and dropped its contents into his palm. When Aiya moved her hand Nick stared down at a small golden locket lying in his hand.

Nick recognized the locket immediately and he was genuinely amazed that Aiya was giving it to him. The locket contained a picture of the three of them that had been taken several years ago and although she had one that was identical to it in every way it was Aiya's greatest treasure, since it had originally belonged to Harmony.

"That locket belonged to Harmony," Aiya told him in a soft voice. "I thought you could keep it with you and that way you could think of me and Harmony whenever you looked at it."

Nick placed the locket in his left pocket and then placed his hand on Aiya's shoulder. "Thank you Aiya. I'll treasure it always."

Aiya smiled at her brother, the first genuine smile that she'd worn all day.

"Well Aiya," Nick said, gazing around. "Guess we should head back to the library. It's not long until dusk."

Aiya nodded and stood up.

A/N- short little fluffy chapter. Yay fluff. Hope you enjoyed and til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	8. Philosopher's Stone in the East

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Eight - Philosopher's Stone in the East**

Nick had been a State Alchemist for a mere two months when he was summoned to the office of his superior, Col. Havoc, to receive instructions for his very first mission. Nick was hanging around in the National Library, doing a little research, when a uniformed officer walked up to him. Nick looked up as the man came to a stop in front of the table where he sat reading.

"Excuse me, Fullmetal sir," the man said, offering the boy a quick salute. "But Col. Havoc wishes to see you."

"I see," Nick said, closing the book that he'd been reading.

Nick stood up from the table, pushed his chair underneath it and picked up the book that he had been all but absorbed in. He made a move to return the book to the shelf where he'd found it but the military man stopped him.

"I'll get that Sir. You should go."

"If you say so," Nick said, giving the man a strange look. He wasn't used to this reverent treatment from people twice his age but he quickly decided that he shouldn't knock it. With a shrug of his shoulders Nick handed the book to the man and then left the library.

The young boy made his way to Col. Havoc's office and once there he knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter," his superior called out from within.

Nick opened the door and entered the office. Then he closed the door behind himself and walked over to Col. Havoc's desk. "You sent for me sir?"

"Welcome Chief," Col. Havoc said. He pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Have a seat kid."

Nick bowed respectfully to his superior and then sat down in the chair that was positioned in front of Havoc's desk. "So what'd you want to see me for?"

"I have a mission for you," Col. Havoc said.

"A mission?"

Col. Havoc nodded. "It shouldn't be too difficult. I just need for you to travel out East and check into an alchemical laboratory out there."

"Is it a military lab?" Nick asked.

Col. Havoc shook his head. "No. The laboratory has no connection to the State Military but we've received reports that the alchemists in the lab are attempting to create the Philosopher's Stone. And that, as you know, is strictly against the laws of the State."

Nick nodded.

"Now, I don't want you to get too involved Chief. Just confirm our suspicions and then come back to Central. Do not confront the alchemists, no matter what you discover. The whole reason I'm sending you, and not someone with more experience, is that you won't arouse suspicion. No one will suspect that the military sent an eleven year old child out to investigate them. Your age is the perfect disguise."

"I see," Nick said. He was slightly irritated over the fact that he'd been chosen for the mission based solely on his age and size however he quickly decided that it would not be in his best interests to confront his superior over this fact.

Col. Havoc handed the boy a cream colored folder that bore the emblem of the military embossed on the front. "Here are your orders and case file, along with a train ticket to East City. Your train leaves tomorrow."

Nick took the folder and stood up.

"Be careful Fullmetal. Make sure that no one out there finds out that you're connected with the military. It could prove hazardous to your health."

Nick nodded.

"Okay, you're dismissed."

Nick bowed and left his superior's office.

Once he left Col. Havoc's office, Nick wandered out to the courtyard in front of HQ. The boy walked over to a large tree and sat down in the shade beneath it.

Nick flipped open the folder and pulled out a thick piece of paper with the military emblem at the top.

Alchemist Nicholas Elric,  
you are hereby ordered to investigate reports that a group of alchemists are attempting tocreate the Philosopher's Stone in the East. . .'

Nick sighed and plaFullmetalced the piece of paper back inside the folder. "I don't see why the State Military cares if people attempt to make the Philosopher's Stone anyway. It's just a myth after all, so what harm are they really doing?"

Closing the folder Nick shrugged. "Oh well. If the military wants to send a State Alchemist on this kind of mission then who am I to argue? I get paid no matter what kind of mission they send me on so I really shouldn't complain."

* * *

Nick hung around Central HQ for a few more hours and then, having received no further orders from his superiors, he headed back to his temporary home. The boy walked the short distance to the Hughes' residence and when he arrived there he knocked on the door.

A few moments later the door opened.

"Nicholas," Gracia Hughes said, smiling at the young boy. "Come on in. Since you're going to be staying with us for awhile we'll have to have you a key made. It seems a shame for you to have to knock in order to gain entrance to your own home."

Nick entered the house, closing the door behind himself.

"Nicholas," a man's voice called out from the den. "Would you come here for a moment?

Nick walked into the den and sat down across from General Hughes. "Yes sir?"

"I heard you've been assigned your first mission," General Hughes said as he gazed over at the boy with a kind look in his eyes.

Nick nodded, holding up the folder that he was still carrying. "Yea. The Colonel gave me the details earlier today."

"So what do you have to do?" General Hughes asked. "Or is it classified information?"

"Well the Colonel didn't say that I couldn't say anything about the mission," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, I don't really see why this particular mission would need to be classified. All I have to do is find out whether or not some alchemists out in the East are researching the Philosopher's Stone."

The General was surprised by that news but he managed to hide his surprise from the young alchemist. "I see. Well good luck with that. That's all I wanted to ask you."

Nick nodded and stood up. He bowed to General Hughes and then left the den and went up to the bedroom that was temporarily his. Once he stepped inside the room Nick closed the door behind himself and then threw himself down on the bed.

_"Why would any alchemist devote their time to such a useless pursuit? The Philosopher's Stone is just a myth."_

* * *

Nick awoke early the next morning and quickly packed his one small suitcase with the few meager possessions that he wanted to take on his mission to the East. Then he made his way downstairs. On his way down he ran into Elicia, who had also risen early.

"Good morning Nicholas," Elicia said. "Are you preparing to depart for the train station?"

"In a little while," Nick told her. "My train leaves in a few hours so I still have a little time before I have to leave."

"Well then come with me and I'll make you some breakfast."

Nick shook his head, not wanting her to go to any trouble on his account. "You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to," Elicia said, offering the young boy a smile. "Now come on."

Knowing that it would be pointless to argue with her Nick sighed and followed Elicia down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Do you want me to help you with anything?" Nick asked.

"No that's okay," Elicia said as she busied herself preparing breakfast. "I actually enjoy cooking."

"Alright then. Have it your way."

Elicia made breakfast for the two of them and when it was finished she and Nick sat at the table in

companionable silence, enjoying the meal that she had prepared.

When he'd finished eating Nick stood up. "That was wonderful Elicia. Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Elicia smiled at the boy.

"Well I should probably head to the train station. I'm pretty sure Col. Havoc would be pissed off if I missed the train."

"You're probably right." Elicia walked over and gave the boy a quick hug. "Take care of yourself Nicholas."

"I will," Nick assured her, blushing slightly at her show of affection.

Still mildly uncomfortable over the situation Nick grabbed his suitcase and left the house. He walked the short distance to the train station and when he arrived he saw Col. Havoc and Fuhrer Mustang standing beside one of the platforms.

Nick walked over to them. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you off," Fuhrer Mustang said with a smirk. "Have you got a problem with that Fullmetal?"

"Not exactly," Nick said. "I was just curious."

"Good," Col. Havoc said. "We also wanted to reiterate the fact that you're not to confront the alchemists, no matter what they're doing. Once the rumors of their illegal activities have been confirmed then we'll send in soldiers with more experience to take care of them. Is that understood Fullmetal?"

"Yes sir," Nick said.

* * *

Nick's train had just arrived in East City and the boy quickly disembarked. He stood on the platform for a few minutes, composing himself and preparing for the work ahead. This was his first mission as a State Alchemist and he couldn't deny the fact that he was slightly nervous.

The young State Alchemist took a deep breath. _"Okay, so all I have to do is be a nosy kid. I can do that."_

And with a new feeling of confidence Nick set off for the lab that he'd been sent out East to investigate. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. From the intelligence reports given to him by Col. Havoc, Nick knew that the lab was located on the outskirts of East City. The complex wasn't hard to find and when Nick got close he hid himself behind a clump of bushes and surveyed the area.

The lab appeared to be fairly deserted at the moment but Nick noticed two large men standing on either side of the door.

_"Alright," _Nick thought to himself. _"There's the brawn now where's the brains?"_

Nick looked around but no one else was visible on the outside of the building. Taking a deep breath the boy thought to himself, "_Well I suppose it's never too soon to begin my nosy kid routine."_

With this thought in mind the boy slipped from behind the clump of bushes and walked toward the lab. To his great surprise Nick actually managed to sneak over to the side of the building without being seen by either of the two oafish guards.

"Hmm," Nick thought to himself as he peered through a partially covered window. Nick craned his neck and peered through the window but no matter how he moved his head he was unable to see anything inside the darkened lab.

"Damn. It's no good. I need to get inside. On to Plan B."

And with that Nick began to move around the building toward another window, this time making absolutely no effort to conceal his presence. Still he was halfway around the building before one of the guards ran up to him.

"What are you doing here boy?"

Nick went immediately into innocent little kid mode. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean any harm, I was just curious. You see I want to learn alchemy and I wanted to see some experts in action."

The man grabbed Nick by the arm. "Come with me boy."

Nick was forced to jog in order to keep up with the big man's steps and he had to keep up or risk having his arm ripped out of socket. Nick resisted the urge to beat the man to a bloody pulp, needing the man's help to infiltrate the lab. To Nick's delight the man dragged him to the entrance of the lab and opened the door. The guard pushed the boy inside and then quickly followed, closing the door as he went.

The room they entered was dark and Nick soon learned why he'd been unable to see anything through the windows. _"It's a building inside a building." _

Despite himself Nick was impressed with the layout of the building. Whoever had designed the lab definitely had some brains. Anyone who managed to get close enough to the building to look through the windows would just assume that the building was abandoned.

The guard knocked on a second door and then opened it. He stepped through the open doorway, pulling Nick along behind him. Having been in the dark just long enough for his eyes to become accustomed to it Nick squinted his eyes against the bright light as he entered the room. _"That also gives them an advantage against intruders although whether or not it's deliberate I couldn't say."_

As his eyes adjusted to the bright lights Nick saw a couple of men dressed in white lab coats standing at the far end of the room. They stood in front of a cluster of doors which seemed to be under close observation by large guys, similar in build to the ones that Nick had encountered outside.

_"I wonder where those lead?" _Nick thought to himself as he stared at the doors.

"Forgive me sirs," the guard said, bowing low. "I didn't mean to disturb your work but I found this boy snooping around outside and I thought you should know."

The two men approached the spot where Nick and the guard stood. One of the men was quite tall, around six foot seven, and had long black hair with flecks of gray at the temples which he wore pulled back into a ponytail. The other man was of average height and he had auburn hair, worn in a military cut, and dark brown eyes.

The shorter man glared down at Nick. "What business do you have in this place boy?"

"I'm interested in alchemy sir," Nick said quietly, forcing himself to act like any ordinary little boy. "And I've been looking for someone to teach me for a long time."

The man's eyes narrowed. "And exactly how did you know that there were alchemists here?"

"I didn't know for sure," Nick said, knowing that this had to be convincing or else he was in serious trouble. Playing on the adorable little kid bit for all he was worth Nick allowed a lock of his hair to fall over his golden eyes. "But I heard rumors in town and thought that it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

"I see," the man said, his eyes still narrowed.

Nick could see doubt in the man's eyes which was not a good sign. _"Damn, this isn't good. My first mission and I've blown it already. Colonel Havoc's going to have a field day with this one."_

Nick's thoughts were interrupted when the tall man spoke up. "So you want to learn alchemy do you boy?"

"Oh yes sir," Nick said in his innocent little kid voice, barely managing to keep the contempt out of his voice. "Very much sir."

"Well I may be able to help you," the man said. "I've need of an assistant, someone to run errands and things like that. If you'll do that for me then I'll teach you alchemy when I have spare moments. How would you like that kid?"

Nick couldn't believe his luck.

"Are you out of your mind Terik?" the shorter man burst out, glaring at his partner through narrowed eyes. "Offering a job to a complete outsider?"

"Oh calm down John," Terik said. "He's just a little kid. What harm could he possibly do?"

Nick listened intently as the two men argued about him. _"They're talking about me as though I'm not even here. Maybe I'll get lucky and one of them will say something that they shouldn't. That would make my life so much easier."_

No such luck. After only a brief argument John gave in. "Fine, hire the brat. But I don't wanna hear about it if it comes back to haunt you."

Terik turned his attention back to Nick. "What do you say kid, are you interested in a job?"

"You bet!" This time Nick didn't have to fake his excitement although he was excited for a completely different reason.

"It's settled then," Terik said. "Markus you may resume your post outside. And from now on this boy has Level 3 access to the lab."

"Yes sir," the man named Marcus said.

_"Level 3 access," _Nick thought to himself. _"I wonder what the heck that means."_

* * *

Over the course of the next few days Nick spent the vast majority of his time doing odd jobs for Terik and the other alchemists who worked at the lab. It was mostly just running to town for supplies and things of that nature and it was beginning to seriously piss the boy off.

"I've been the bad guys' lackey for nearly a week and it's gotten me nowhere."

The only thing he'd managed to learn was what Terik had meant by Level 3 access. The lab where the alchemists worked had several rooms, each separately guarded and each requiring special security clearance. Level 3 meant that the person had access to the grounds surrounding the lab and the front room only and that group included Nick and the guards. People with Level 2 access were allowed into two of the four back rooms and included most of the alchemists at the lab. Then there was Level 1, which was total access. Nick only knew of three people who were Level 1: Terik, John and a female alchemist named Lyn.

On the positive side of the situation Nick had played his part well and Terik had been showing him some basic alchemy. And since Nick could do everything that Terik showed him immediately, with no practice, Terik thought the boy was an absolute genius.

"Maybe I should have him do research and turn one of those other flunkies into an errand boy," Terik muttered as he watched the boy transmute.

"What did you say?" Nick asked, glancing up at his clueless 'teacher'.

"Nothing," Terik said quickly. "Well done kid. I think that's enough for today. We'll pick it up again tomorrow, if I have time."

* * *

_"This is taking forever," _Nick thought to himself as he walked back from East City. He had been sent on yet another errand for the alchemists and he was by no means happy about this. Being their lackey had grown old some time ago and now it was all he could do to keep from blowing his cover.

When Nick made it back to the lab the big guard Markus took his time moving away from the door. It seemed the man still hadn't gotten over his initial dislike of the boy.

Narrowing his golden eyes Nick growled at the man. "Move or get hurt."

Markus slowly moved aside and Nick jerked the door open and walked inside. Still irritated over the situation the boy quickly walked the few steps over to the second door. Nick prepped himself for the blinding light, opened the door and stepped inside.

"Welcome back kid," Terik said.

Nick nodded and walked toward the man. When he reached the spot where Terik stood Nick offered him the package that he was carrying. "Here are the supplies that you wanted sir."

Terik took the package. "Thanks."

Nick nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait kid," Terik said. "Follow me."

Nick was confused but he did as he was told, even though it irritated him as always to be so blindingly obedient. He wasn't even that obedient to his superiors in the military but he'd worked to hard to infiltrate the lab to risk blowing his cover by a show of rebellion. He followed his boss over to one of the forbidden doors. Terik opened the door and motioned for Nick to follow him inside. Now more curious than ever about what was going on Nick shrugged and followed the man into the unknown room. This particular room was dimly lit and had a couple of work stations where random alchemists were working.

"Nick," Terik said. "This room is where our second ranked alchemists work on analyzing a substance called the red stone."

_"The red stone," _Nick thought to himself as he surveyed the room. The young boy's thoughts flashed briefly back to some of the research that he'd done during his first few weeks in Central. _"I've read about that in the library in Central. It's supposed to be like a cheap imitation of the Philosopher's Stone."_

Nick was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of Terik's voice. "Nick I want you to help these alchemists with their research."

Nick's eyes widened. Did he know something?

"With the speed at which you've picked up alchemy it seems a real waste to use you as a mere delivery boy. Don't worry kid, they'll show you what to do."

Nick nodded and then watched as Terik walked away.

_"I think I messed up," _Nick thought to himself as he found himself left alone in a room full of strange and possibly dangerous alchemists. _"I was just supposed to find out about their research, not help them with it. Now what am I supposed to do?"_

Nick didn't have to worry about what to do for long however. He was in the room with the alchemists later that evening when the door burst open and three men stormed in. Nick knew two of the men but the identity of the third was a complete mystery.

Terik and John followed the third man, who was tall with long jet black hair and dark eyes. He also had a strange tattoo on the side of his neck but it was partially hidden by his hair and Nick couldn't tell what it was supposed to be.

**"HOW DARE YOU BRING A STRANGER TO THIS PLACE!!" **the man with the tattoo roared, his eyes gleaming with a malevolent anger.

"I told him it was a bad idea," John said, trying to distance himself from Terik's mistake and keep himself out of trouble.

"But he's just a little kid," Terik said in his own defense. "Plus he's a very talented alchemist. He could help us."

"Of course he's a talented alchemist," the man yelled. "He's a **STATE **Alchemist you moron!"

_"Damn," _Nick silently cursed. _"How does this guy know that? I've never even seen him before."_

"You invited a State Alchemist into our lab where we're attempting to create an illegal substance," John said in disbelief. "How stupid can you be?"

"You shut up! You're no better than he is. Did you stop him**? NO!"**

"I tried," John said in a small voice.

"Well you should have tried harder," the man said, although he seemed to have calmed a degree. "No matter though. Dispose of him."

Terik stared at the boy, seemingly still unable to believe that the boy he'd been tutoring in basic alchemy was in fact a high ranking member of the State Military. There was shock in his voice as he asked, "Are you really a State Alchemist?"

"Sure enough," Nick said with a smirk. "Sorry to keep such an important piece of information a secret from you but if I'd told you sooner then I never would have found out what I needed to know. That little secret was on a need to know basis and you simply didn't need to know."

Terik narrowed his eyes at the boy. "I can't believe I actually **LIKED** you. But you tricked me and for that you must die."

"Well that's not nice," Nick said, shaking his head. "And after everything I've done for you. You ingrate."

Terik took a menacing step toward the boy and, taking that as their cue, the rest of the alchemists in the room followed suit. And they all looked as though they would relish inflicting grave bodily harm upon him.

"I think they wanna kill me," Nick said with a smirk.

"I think you're right," Terik said, taking another step toward him.

Nick was backed up against the wall so that no one could attack him from behind. He surveyed the scene as the alchemists approached. There were seven of them, not counting the guy with the tattoo. He had yet to move so Nick wasn't counting him as an opponent just yet.

_"Hmm," _Nick said to himself. _"Seven against one. That hardly seems fair to them but oh well. They asked for it."_

Nick clasped his hands together and in a shower of blue sparks his auto-mail arm transformed into a blade.

Terik's eyes widened. "H. . .how did you do that?"

"I'm talented," Nick said with a smirk. "Let's suffice it to say that I could probably teach you a thing or two about alchemy. If you weren't a bad guy, that is."

The alchemists all rushed Nick and the boy soon found out that, although they were all moderately talented in the lab, they all sucked when it came to hand to hand combat. Nick easily dodged blows from several alchemist at once and he laughed as the lousy fighters got in each others way.

"You guys should quit while you're ahead," Nick said as one of the alchemists swung at him, missed and punched one of his comrades in the nose. "If you surrender now I promise I won't hurt you."

Despite the fact that they were essentially beating each other up the alchemists didn't heed Nick's warning. They continued with their clumsy attacks.

"Okay," Nick said with a sigh. "Have it your way. But I warned you."

And with that Nick began to take out alchemists left and right. They'd made their decision and he was no longer holding back. If they got hurt then it was their own stupid fault for not heeding his warning.

As he watched his cronies going down one by one the man with the tattoo rolled his eyes. "They're all useless."

At that point in the fight the man with the tattoo decided to join in and Nick lost the upper hand. Unfortunately for Nick the man with the tattoo obviously had some experience at hand to hand combat and he soon proved to be more difficult to deal with than all of the others combined.

"Damn," Nick swore as he struggled against his new opponent, as well as the old ones. "This is **NOT** good."

In an attempt to get as many of them as he could with one blow, Nick clasped his hands together and placed them on the concrete floor. Large stone spikes shot up from the floor, amidst a spray of blue sparks, and people scrambled in all directions, trying to get away from them.

Not everyone managed to dodge the attack however and the stone spikes took out a couple of the alchemists, along with one of the walls. Debris fell from the ceiling, covering a couple more of Nick's opponents.

"Let's move into the front room," the man with the tattoo yelled to the alchemists who were still conscious. Then he quickly clamored through the hole in the wall made by Nick's attack.

"Well that was stupid," Nick said as he paused to catch his breath and watched the alchemists retreat through the hole in the wall. "Think I'll escape and fetch reinforcements."

"Afraid not kid." Terik picked up a leg from one of the demolished work stations and swung it at Nick.

"Damn. I'd forgotten him." Nick dove out of the way, tucking himself into a tight ball. When he hit the ground he rolled and then quickly jumped to his feet. "That was close."

His escape attempt foiled Nick decided that moving to the front room wasn't such a bad idea. There was far more room and far less destruction. Nick jumped through the hole in the wall, closely followed by Terik who still held the table leg.

As soon as Nick entered the front room he was immediately attacked from all sides.

"Dammit!"

As he fought Nick somehow managed to take out the lousy fighters while still managing to block blows from the one man in the group who actually knew how to fight.

_"Well I suppose some good came from constantly sparring with Dad and Sensei," _Nick thought to himself as he blocked the man's blows. _"Who would have thought that constantly having the crap beaten out of me would one day prove useful?"_

"I commend you young alchemist," the man with the tattoo said. "You've done well to last this long." Then the man attempted to kick the boy's feet out from under him.

Nick dodged by jumping backward. He did a back flip, balancing on his hand, but this move played right into the man's plan. He swung at the boy's right arm and this time Nick found himself in a position where he was unable to block.

Nick screamed in pain as he felt his arm give. "Damn! This is **NOT **good!"

Nick managed to push off with his injured arm and land on his feet but he knew that his arm had been rendered virtually useless by the man's attack. Which was bad in more ways than one since it meant that he couldn't transmute quickly and that he'd have a harder time blocking his foe's attacks.

Nick braced himself for another attack but was surprised when none came.

"It seems you've been rendered harmless young alchemist," the man said in a taunting voice.

"I can still take you," Nick growled, glaring at the man, his gaze full of contempt.

The man shook his head. "I don't think so. You and I will meet again, of that I have no doubt." And with that the man turned and walked away.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? We're not done yet." Nick made a move to pursue the man but was stopped when the man hit a wall that was barely standing as it was. Nick quickly covered his head with his arms, to protect himself from the falling debris that rained down upon him when the wall gave way, and by the time the smoke cleared the man had vanished. "Well that was weird."

Nick surveyed the damaged lab and was quite sure that even if the man with the tattoo managed to put together another group of alchemists no one would ever be able to do research in this particular lab.

"Well it looks like the research is officially over. But just to make sure. . ."

Nick wandered around the lab, destroying anything that looked important, making doubly sure that the facility was now useless. He wanted there to be no doubts that the laboratory would be useless to the tattooed man and any alchemists who may have escaped.

While he was working in one of the back rooms Nick heard the sound of voices coming from the front room. "Ah hell," the boy groaned.

Prepared for another fight Nick walked back out to the front room. However instead of enemy alchemists Nick saw Markus standing near the door flanked by men in blue, soldiers from East HQ.

"See I told you," Markus said. "That boy broke in here and vandalized the place."

"What's going on here?" one of the soldiers asked Nick in a stern voice.

Nick shrugged. "I guess they had a disagreement or something. Hell if I know."

"Don't be smart with me boy," the soldier said in a warning tone, taking a menacing step toward the boy. "Now tell me what happened here or I'm taking you into custody." And as though to prove his point the soldier took yet another menacing step toward Nick, who was thoroughly unimpressed with the show of authority.

Nick rolled his eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his watch. He held it up for the soldiers to see. "Don't."

That one single word, coupled with the sight of the watch, was enough to halt the man's progress.

"A State Alchemist?"

"That's right," Nick said, his tone smug. "And I'm here on official business. These alchemists were attempting to create the Philosopher's Stone which is, as I'm sure you're aware, illegal."

"I see," the soldier said. He turned to face his men. "Place everyone in this building under arrest. As soon as they regain consciousness that is."

"Well I guess my job is done," Nick said. "I suppose I should head back to Central."

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	9. Return to Resembool

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. That honor belongs to Hiromu Arakawa

**Chapter Nine - Return to Resembool**

Nick had just returned from a mission to the East and after his horrible fight with a group of alchemists out there he found that his right arm could barely move. Having been warned not to engage in combat Nick was slightly worried about how his superior would react to the news. Havoc had sent one of his military lackeys to pick the boy up at the train station and Nick walked over to the uniformed officer, a slight look of apprehension in his golden eyes.

"Welcome back Fullmetal sir." The lackey stood at attention and gave Nick a snappy salute. "Come with me and I'll take you directly to Central HQ."

Nick nodded and followed the soldier away from the platform and over to a military car that was parked along the sidewalk. After a brief car ride Nick arrived back at Central HQ. He thanked the lackey for the ride and then made his way to Colonel Havoc's office. When he arrived at his superior's inner sanctum the boy knocked lightly on the door a couple of times and then opened it.

"Welcome back Chief." Col. Havoc glanced casually up at the kid as he spoke and he did a double take when he saw the state the boy was in. His clothes were torn and his right arm hung limp at his side. "What the hell happened to you?"

"A fight," Nick replied shortly.

"I expressly told you not to fight them. You were just supposed to investigate what was going on in the laboratory and then report your findings back to me."

"I tried that approach," Nick said dryly. "However the alchemists had other ideas."

"Your arm's broken," Col. Havoc said, pointing toward the automail appendage.

"Your powers of observation are amazing." The boy's voice was laced with sarcasm and he glared at his superior as he threw himself into a chair in front of Havoc's desk.

"So tell me," Col. Havoc said, choosing to ignore the boy's blatant insolence. "Other than the fight was your mission successful?"

Nick nodded. "The alchemists were definitely attempting to create a Philosopher's Stone. They told me as much when they discovered that I was a State Alchemist but I don't think they'll be doing any more research for awhile. Their lab was destroyed during our fight plus they went and got themselves arrested."

"Well it seems that you being discovered wasn't all bad."

Nick rolled his eyes, happy that his superior was able to find the bright side in his getting beaten up.

"You should probably take some time off and head to Resembool so that you can get your arm repaired."

Nick shook his head, not at all liking the prospect of facing his mother and telling her that he'd been involved in a fight in which his auto-mail had sustained fairly significant damage. He shivered at the very thoughts of what her reaction would be. He'd rather face the alchemists who'd tried to kill him a thousand times over rather than face his mom when she found out what had happened. "That won't be necessary," the boy said hastily, holding up the one arm that he could still move freely. "It's not that bad." He wriggled his fingers slowly and with great effort. "See? I can still use it."

"Okay then chief. Let's see you use it in battle."

"Heh heh." Nick laughed nervously, knowing that such a feat would be impossible with his arm in it's present condition..

Suddenly a third voice abruptly joined the conversation. "You have to return to Resembool and get your arm repaired. You're no good to anyone with your arm in it's current state."

Nick turned his head and gazed over his shoulder. He saw the Fuhrer standing in the doorway, looking smug as usual. "No, that's okay. I'd really rather not."

"This isn't a request Fullmetal," the Fuhrer said, glaring angrily at the boy. "It's an order. Unless of course you'd prefer to be court-martialed for disobeying orders."

"Damn," Nick swore. He knew that the order forced him to go home and yet he still wanted to live so his brain worked at a furious pace, attempting to form a plan. "I know," he said suddenly, an idea coming to him. "I'll bet I can slip into Resembool and have Granny Pinako fix my arm. Then I can leave again and my parents will never know."

"Oh yea that'll work," Col. Havoc said with a grin. "Since you did such a fine job of sneaking into Central and all."

Nick whirled on Col. Havoc, his golden eyes flashing fire. "Hey, I had no trouble sneaking into Central. Mom and Dad didn't know I was here until **YOU** called them. So don't you even start on me."

Col. Havoc glared at the boy, who had a valid point that he was choosing to ignore. "Be gone with you. And don't come back until you're useful again."

Nick turned and headed toward the door.

"Wait," the Fuhrer said, halting the boy's retreat.

"What now?" Nick asked, his voice filled with frustration as he turned back to face his two superiors.

"I can't let you go back to Resembool alone in your condition," the Fuhrer said. "I'll have one of my men accompany you, to make sure that nothing happens to you while you're vulnerable."

Nick glared at the Fuhrer. "Don't bother. I can take care of myself. I don't need a baby-sitter."

"Oh yea?" the Fuhrer said, suddenly having flashbacks from Ed's days in the military. "And what exactly will you do if one of the many people you've pissed off during your stint in the military decides to come and seek revenge?"

"That's simple," Nick said, a smug expression appearing on his face. "I'll kick their ass."

"Uh huh," the Fuhrer said, sounding less than convinced. "You do realize they'll be kicking back, right?"

Nick stared defiantly at his superior. "I can handle anything that comes up."

Mustang shook his head. "Your arm is barely functioning and therefore you can't transmute quickly. If you try to fight, you'll lose miserably. I'm assigning you an escort. End of discussion."

"Dammit," Nick swore.

The Fuhrer left the office, only to return a few minutes later followed by a tall, brown haired man dressed in a military uniform. "Fullmetal, this is Second Lieutenant Jason Griffon. Lieutenant Griffon, this is Nick Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. You'll be accompanying him to his home town of Resembool, so that he can get his auto-mail repaired."

The Lieutenant saluted the Fuhrer. "Yes sir." Then he turned to Nick and gave another snappy salute. "I shall fulfill my duty and protect you with my life. You have my word on that and I'm ready to leave whenever you are Fullmetal sir."

_"Is this guy for real?" _Nick thought to himself as he waved off the Lieutenant's salute. "Don't do that."

"Yes sir," Lt. Griffon said.

Nick groaned and turned to face the Fuhrer. "Mustang, do I have to take this guy?"

The Fuhrer glared at the boy. "Yes. Now leave."

"Dammit all," Nick said, growling under his breath in frustration.

"You're both dismissed."

Lt. Griffon saluted the two officers and then turned and followed Nick out of the room. Nick walked down the hall a short distance and then stopped and turned to face his unwanted escort.

"Listen Lieutenant," Nick said in a whisper. "I really don't need an escort for this trip. After all I'm just going to my little dinky hometown so if you wanna make yourself scarce for the next few days I won't tell anyone and you can have a little vacation, with pay and everything. What do you say?"

"Sorry sir," Lt. Griffon said, shaking his head. "But that would be disobeying a direct order from the Fuhrer. I'd face court-martial if I were caught. Besides if something were to happen to you I'd never forgive myself."

"Why?" Nick asked, confused. "You don't even know me. We just met five minutes ago."

"True," Lt. Griffon conceded. "But I'm an adult and you're a child. Adults are responsible for the safety of children and I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life if I neglected my duty and allowed something to happen to you."

"Damn," Nick said under his breath. "I had to get the honorable one. Anyone else would have jumped at the opportunity to have a couple of days off with pay but no, not this guy." He turned to face Lt. Griffon. "Fine. If you insist on tagging along I guess I can't stop you. Just make sure you stay out of my way."

Lt. Griffon saluted. "Yes sir, Fullmetal sir."

Nick rolled his eyes. "You don't make any sense at all, you know that?"

Lt. Griffon was confused. "How so sir?"

"You start off calling me 'sir' and then you lecture me about the fact that I'm only a child and you're an adult and adults are responsible for children. And then, once your lecture is over, you revert back to the respectful lower ranking officer. What's up with that?"

Lt. Griffon shrugged.

Nick left Central HQ, followed closely behind by his bodyguard, and the two of them walked the short distance to the Hughes' house. Nick knocked on the door and stepped aside. The door soon opened and Elicia glared at Nick.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to knock Nicholas? This is your home now and as long as it is you may come and go as you please. You have a key."

"I'm sorry Elicia," Nick apologized as he and his escort entered the house. "I just don't feel comfortable walking into your house unannounced. I feel like I'm breaking and entering or something."

Elicia sighed. "You're gonna have to get over that Nick."

"I know."

"So tell me," Elicia said, eyeing the man dressed in royal blue who stood a few feet behind Nick. "Who's your new friend?"

Nick was instantly irritated again. "I have to go back to Resembool to get some repairs done to my auto-mail and Mustang insisted that I bring along this guy. He thinks I need protection."

"I hate to say it and I know it's going to make you angry but Fuhrer Mustang has a point," Elicia said.

**"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!!!"**

"Sorry," Elicia said quickly, not having realized that her comment would upset the boy that much. "But you can't perform alchemy quickly without the use of your right arm so you are vulnerable."

"Uhhh," Nick said, exasperated. "Let's just get this nightmare over with." He turned to face his escort. "You can stay here while I go upstairs and pack my things. I don't think I'll be attacked in my bedroom."

Lt. Griffon nodded.

"Come with me Lieutenant," Elicia said. "I'll show you into the sitting room."

Lt. Griffon nodded and he followed her into the sitting room, leaving Nick at the base of the stairs, looking irate. The boy growled as he watched his unwanted escort follow Elicia out of the room.

"This is just great."

Nick took the steps two at a time and then quickly walked down the hall to the room that was temporarily his. He opened the door, entered the room, and closed the door behind himself.

"I can't believe this," Nick grumbled as he walked across the room. "I have all the luck."

Nick sat down on the edge of the bed and debated simply climbing out the window and taking off without his unwanted escort. _"Not a bad idea," _Nick thought to himself.

And so, his course of action decided upon, Nick went to work. He removed the sheets from the bed and quickly tied them together, fashioning a rope which he then tied to the end of the bed. Then Nick thrust open the window and lowered his homemade rope. Once the rope was hanging out of the window Nick tested its sturdiness and when he was sure that it would support his weight he climbed up into the window sill and began his descent.

His auto-mail wasn't in perfect working order but it functioned well enough for Nick to be able to climb down the rope. The sheets weren't ideal for his mission and the rope had ended up a few feet too short but when he reached the end Nick simply jumped the remaining distance. The boy landed nimbly and then jogged off toward the train station, where with any luck he'd be able to catch a train back to Resembool before his unwanted escort discovered that he'd been left behind.

_"Mustang's not gonna be happy about this," _Nick thought to himself as he reached the train station. _"But, oh well. I'll face that when the time comes. I tried to tell him that I don't need a baby-sitter. It's not my fault he wouldn't listen to me."_

Nick walked up to the ticket booth. "Excuse me sir. Can you tell me when the next train to Resembool is leaving?"

"You're in luck son," the man said. "There's a train bound for Resembool leaving in fifteen minutes."

_**"YES!" **_Nick inwardly exclaimed. To the man he said, "That's nice. I'd like one ticket please."

Nick paid for his ticket and then sat down to wait for the train.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Hughes' residence, Lt. Griffon and Elicia sat on a couch in the sitting room awaiting Nick's return. It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Nick climbed the stairs to his room and Elicia was beginning to wonder what was taking Nick so long, since he didn't have that many possessions to pack, but she chose to keep her mouth closed since Nick's escort didn;t seem at all concerned.

While the Lieutenant made small talk Elicia kept her eyes glued to the stair case, where she kept hoping she'd see a glum looking Nick descend at any moment. _"Come on Nick; please don't have done anything stupid."_

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed, while Nick sat at the train station and surveyed passing people, on the lookout for Lt. Griffon and the boy couldn't believe his luck when he heard the boarding call for the train to Resembool. His plan was actually going to work. That had to be a first.

_"I don't believe it," _Nick thought to himself. _"I've actually given that guy the slip. Sometimes I even amaze myself."_

Nick grabbed his things and boarded the train. He made his way to the back of the railcar and sat down. He glanced out the window, still slightly paranoid that his unwanted companion might show up but his fears were alleviated when the train's whistle blew and the train began to pull away from the station.

* * *

"What's taking that boy so long?" Lt. Griffon asked, after half an hour of forced small talk with Elicia.

Elicia shrugged. "I don't know. I'll go up and check on him."

"I'll come too," Lt. Griffon said.

_"Oh boy," _Elicia thought to herself as she and the lieutenant began the walk up the stairs_. "Here it comes." _Elicia had no proof that Nick had done anything but she had known the boy long enough to know that it was a distinct possibility.

When she and the lieutenant reached Nick's room Elicia knocked. She waited a few seconds and when there was no answer she knocked again. Again there was no answer.

"Nick? We're coming in, " Elicia called out, slowly opening the boy's bedroom door.

The room was empty.

"Oh no." Lt. Griffon had caught sight of the homemade rope that Nick had fashioned out of bed sheets and was immediately nauseous. He ran over to the window and gazed down. The lieutenant turned back to Elicia, a horrified look on his face. "I'm a dead man. Court-martial and death are all that await me when the Fuhrer finds out that I lost the State Alchemist I was supposed to be guarding."

Elicia gave the lieutenant a sympathetic look. "It'll be okay. You know where Nick's headed. Just take a separate train and meet him in Resembool. And once the two of you are reunited, don't let him out of your sight again."

Lt. Griffon nodded, his eyes filled with relief. "Thanks."

Elicia nodded.

Lt. Griffon left the room and ran down the stairs. He quickly left the Hughes' residence and made his way to the train station. Lt. Griffon walked up to the man in the ticket booth.

"Excuse me sir," Lt. Griffon said, slightly out of breath after his jog to the train station. "I'm looking for a young boy. Not very tall, dressed all in black with long blonde hair, which he wears in a single braid. Have you seen him?"

The man nodded. "Yea. He was here not too long ago. Is he in some kind of trouble with the military?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Lt. Griffon said, shaking his head. "Can you tell me where he went?"

"He took a train to Resembool," the man said, gazing down at his watch. "It left about two hours ago."

"Dammit!"

After he determined that Nick had definitely gotten on the train bound for Resembool, Lt. Griffon learned, to his great dismay, that the next passenger train bound for the small town wasn't scheduled to leave for three days.

That news devastated the military man. "You've gotta be kidding me?"

"I'm sorry Lieutenant," the man at the ticket booth said. "If you really need to get there ASAP, there's a freight train leaving in about an hour that has a scheduled stop in Resembool. It's not normally allowed but if you don't mind the conditions I'll bend the rules a little and you can ride on that train."

"Thank you so much sir," Lt. Griffon said, heaving a sigh of relief and wiping sweat from his forehead. "You probably just saved my life. I'll take passage on the freight train with gratitude."

Lt. Griffon got his ticket and took a seat on a bench to await the departure of his train. While he was waiting he thought about the young man who'd given him the slip.

_"Why'd you do this to me Fullmetal? Am I really that horrible to be around?"_

If Fuhrer Mustang discovered that he'd lost the State Alchemist that he'd been assigned to protect his career in the military was basically ruined. And Lt. Griffon was determined not to let that happen. He would track down the boy if it killed him.

* * *

Nick spent many, many mind numbing hours on the train and he was ready to pull his hair out by the time he arrived in his hometown of Resembool. As soon as the train came to a stop at the station Nick jumped to his feet and exited. He didn't have any luggage to get because his escape from Lt. Griffon had prevented him from packing so he was able to get off the train in record speed.

Once in his hometown Nick spent a little time debating on who he should get to repair his auto-mail. His mother was the best auto-mail engineer around but his great-grandmother would be less likely to chew him out over the fight that had caused the damage to his auto-mail.

"Dammit," Nick swore. "This is a no win situation. I'll just get Mom to fix it and deal with the emotional trauma."

His decision made, Nick set out on the road that would take him to the place where he'd grown up. He hadn't been back since his impromptu trip to Central several months ago and yet nothing seemed to have changed.

"This place is as boring as always," Nick observed as he headed toward his home.

It only took Nick about half an hour to walk from the main village of Resembool to the house where his parents and his younger sister still lived. And as he approached the house he heard the familiar barking of a dog.

Nick looked to his left and saw a huge, shaggy white dog loping toward him. "Keeva," he called out to the dog.

The dog immediately halted it's approached and stood staring at the boy.

"Hey Keeva." Nick walked toward the dog. "Still the best guard dog in all of Resembool I see."

The dog cocked its head to one side and listened to the boy's words for a few minutes before suddenly rushing the boy. The dog ran toward Nick and jumped on him. Nick had anticipated the dog's attack and when Keeva jumped he caught the dog's front paws and held them. This was a familiar game of theirs.

"So you wanna dance huh?" Nick asked, holding the dog's paws and taking a few steps forward.

The dog barked happily and followed the boy on his hind legs.

"I'm glad to see you too." Nick released his grip on the dog's paws and patted him affectionately on the head. "But I can't support your weight so you're gonna have to get down."

**"NICK!"**

Nick turned toward the house when he heard the squeal of his little sister Aiya. The young girl had just walked out the front door to see what the dog was barking at and she immediately caught sight of her older brother. Her blue eyes lit up with delight and she offered Nick a welcoming smile.

"Hey Aiya," Nick called out, walking quickly toward her. When he reached the young girl she threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "So are you back for good now?"

Nick gazed at his sister sadly. "Afraid not. I still have some things I have to do before I come home for good. Right now I'm just here for repairs."

"Oh," Aiya said, her face falling.

"I'm sorry Aiya," Nick said. "But I'll be home again in no time. I promise."

* * *

Lt. Griffon boarded the freight train that he was forced to take in order to reach Resembool before Nick's repairs were finished and he returned to Central. Once on board the train Lt. Griffon found a semi comfortable seat on a large crate. The lieutenant sat down and attempted to make himself comfortable, grumbling complaints the entire time. As he prepared himself for the many uncomfortable hours that he would spend on the train the lieutenant grumbled to himself.

"You can bet when I find that boy I won't let him out of my sight again. I can't believe he did this."

Still grumbling, Lt. Griffon was nearly unseated when the train lurched and began to move.

"Uhhh," Lt. Griffon said, struggling to regain his balance.

Lt. Griffon barely managed to keep from falling off his crate seat as the train picked up speed, bound for many places, among them the small village of Resembool.

"I'm coming for you Nicholas," Lt. Griffon whispered. "You may think you've won but you're wrong."

* * *

Nick and Aiya were still standing out in the yard, catching up on the goings on in each other's lives, when Winry walked outside.

"Nicholas," she gasped as she caught sight of the son she hadn't seen in several months.

"Hi Mom." Nick smiled up at his mother.

Winry smiled at her son. "So to what do we owe this pleasure? Have you decided to quit the military?"

The comment was meant as a casual joke but Winry couldn't hide the faint note of hopefulness in her voice. She would like nothing better than to have her son home for good and Nick was well aware of that fact.

"Afraid not Mom. I came home for repairs."

Winry's eyes widened. "What did you do?"

_"Uh oh. Here it comes," _Nick thought. He turned to face his mother and said in a placating voice, "It was just a little scuffle Mom, nothing serious."

"You're lying to me," Winry said, immediately seeing through her son's attempted deception. He was too much like his father to be able to lie to her with any skill. She could see right through him the same way she'd always been able to see through Edward's lies.

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked, inwardly amazed at her uncanny ability to see through his lies.

"Because you are your father's son," Winry replied.

"That was harsh," a third voice said, joining the conversation.

"Hey Dad," Nick said, hoping that his dad's appearance would help steer the topic of conversation away from his fight and the shape of his auto-mail.

No such luck.

"Welcome home son." Ed smiled down at his look alike son. "I couldn't help overhearing the fact that you came home for repairs. Did you have some trouble with one of your missions?"

"A little," Nick said, shrugging it off. "But it's not that big of a deal. My arm isn't even totally busted. I can still use it some."

And to demonstrate his point, Nick held up his arm and showed his limited range of motion.

Instantly shifting into auto-mail engineer mode, Winry walked down the porch steps and came to stand beside her son. She grabbed his arm and began to move it around, examining its mobility and range of motion. She abruptly released her grip on his arm. "You haven't completely ruined it, that's true, but you did a number on it. I think that I'll go ahead and completely replace it while you're here, since there's no way to know when you'll come back."

Nick nodded. "Alright. Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome," Winry said. Then her disposition abruptly changed and she held up the wrench that was in her hand, her narrowed gaze focused on her first born. "But if anything happens to this new arm you've had it. Is that understood?"

A bead of sweat appeared on Nick's forehead. "Yes ma'am."

"Okay," Winry said, her mood lightening once more. "Come into my workshop and I'll begin work on your arm."

Nick nodded and followed his mother into her workshop. Aiya followed the two of them, afraid to let her brother out of her sight lest he disappear again. She tagged along close behind him, on his heels like a small puppy. Once inside the workshop Winry removed Nick's auto-mail arm and the boy couldn't help but wince as the nerves of his shoulder were disconnected to the mechanism of the auto-mail. "That part hasn't gotten any easier."

"I'm sorry," Winry said in an apologetic tone of voice, placing the arm on her workbench.

"It's okay," Nick said. "The memory of that pain and the pain to come when you reattach it will only serve to remind me that I have to be more careful in the future."

"That's a good way to look at it," Winry said. "Well, I have work to do so why don't you go and spend some time with your sister Nicholas. She obviously missed you."

Nick looked down at Aiya, who was standing very close to him. "Yea. I think you're right. Come on Aiya. Let's go outside and play."

"Okay Big Brother," Aiya said happily, grabbing her brother by the arm.

* * *

After spending countless hours on board the cramped and uncomfortable freight train, Lt. Griffon was delighted when he felt the train slow. That signaled his arrival in Resembool.

"It's about time," Lt. Griffon muttered to himself.

When the sound of the train's whistle signaled their arrival in Resembool, Lt. Griffon jumped to his feet and made a beeline for the exit. Once outside, Lt. Griffon stopped to contemplate his next move.

_"Now," _he thought to himself as he gazed around. _"To find out where the kid lives."_

So the lieutenant approached an older man who was standing beside the platform, watching the men who were unloading the contents from the freight train. "Excuse me sir."

"Can I help you young man?"

"I hope so," Lt. Griffon said. "I'm looking for a young man by the name of Nicholas Elric. Can you tell me where I might find him?"

"I can tell you where his family lives," the man replied. "But Nicholas left Resembool several months ago."

"Any information you can give me would be most appreciated," Lt. Griffon told the man. He was in no position to be picky and would take what he could get.

A few minutes later Lt. Griffon set out for the Elric family home, following the directions that the man had given him.

Nick and Aiya were out in front of their family's home, playing with Keeva, when the dog suddenly lost interest in the ball that Nick had been tossing to him. The dog turned its attention to the road that led to the main village and began to bark furiously.

Nick turned and gazed in the direction that Keeva's attention was focused and to his horror he saw a man in royal blue walking up the road toward them.

"Ah hell no," Nick moaned, running a hand through his golden blonde bangs.

"What is it Big Brother?" Aiya asked, confused.

"We have a visitor," Nick said moodily.

Aiya turned and she, too, saw the man walking toward them. "Who is that man?" There was a slight note of fear in the child's voice.

"It's alright Aiya," Nick said reassuringly, instantly picking up the fear in his little sister's voice. He hadn't meant to scare her and he quickly changed the tone of his voice. "He's here to see me. He's a member of the military, like me."

"Oh." The young girl's fear did not go away entirely but she trusted her older brother and stood close by his side, watching as the man in blue approached.

When Lt. Griffon reached the spot where the two kids were standing he glared at Nick. "So you thought you could give me the slip did you Fullmetal?"

"Why couldn't you have just stayed in Central? You look like hell." Nick said, noticing the lieutenant's haggard appearance. "Obviously I'm capable of taking care of myself since I made it here just fine alone. In fact I seem to have fared quite a bit better than you did. So I didn't need you."

"That may be true," Lt. Griffon said, pausing to catch his breath. "You obviously have a fair amount of luck but that's not the point. The point is, I was ordered to accompany you and make sure that you arrived in Resembool safely and without incident and then you jeopardized my career, not to mention your life, by taking off by yourself. That was very inconsiderate of you, not to mention stupid. I could face a court-martial if Fuhrer Mustang finds out what happened."

Nick gazed at Lt. Griffon, a startled look on his face. He'd known that his escape would make Mustang angry at him but he hadn't even thought about the repercussions on Lt. Griffon. The man had been ordered to keep an eye on him and then less than an hour later he'd lost him. That really could have gotten the lieutenant in a whole lot of trouble.

"You're right," Nick said softly, his gaze lowered to the ground. "I'm sorry."

Lt. Griffon looked surprised. He apparently hadn't expected an apology from the boy.

"So," Nick said. "Since you're here and I'm here and no one except me, you and Elicia know about what happened, you may as well continue your job."

Lt. Griffon nodded.

"Come on and I'll introduce you to my parents."

Nick led the way into the house, followed by Aiya and Lt. Griffon. The group found Ed sitting on the couch in the living room, reading a book.

"Dad, we have a guest."

Ed put down his book and looked up at his children and the military officer who accompanied them.

"Dad this is Second Lieutenant Jason Griffon," Nick said. "He was assigned to be my escort by Mustang. He just now arrived from the train station. Lt. Griffon, this is my dad Edward Elric."

"Welcome to Resembool Lt. Griffon." Ed extended his hand to the military officer.

Lt. Griffon took Ed's offered hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Elric."

"So you were given the unfortunate task of guarding my son huh?" Ed said with an evil grin. "You must have done something to really piss off Mustang."

Lt. Griffon did his best to hide the smile that Ed's comment brought because he knew that Nick would be pissed off if he openly laughed at what Ed had said. But it took everything he had to keep from laughing.

**"DAD!!"**

"What?' Ed asked in an innocent voice.

Nick growled low in his throat.

"Made you angry have I? Sorry about that." Even though he was issuing an apology to his son, Ed's voice was devoid of even a hint of remorse. And he couldn't quite banish the evil grin.

"Sure you are," Nick said, not at all convinced. "Anyway, Lt. Griffon will be staying with us until I head back to Central. Is that okay with you?"

"Doesn't bother me," Ed said. "Make yourself at home Lieutenant."

"Thank you Mr. Elric sir."

Ed nodded in the direction of Lt. Griffon.

"Come on Aiya. Let's go back outside and play with Keeva some more."

Aiya nodded her head enthusiastically, a large smile spreading across her pretty face. "Okay Big Brother. He's really happy that you're back home Nick. And so am I."

Nick smiled at his little sister. "I'm glad to be home."

* * *

As he and his sister spent the next couple of days playing with one another, Nick began to grow restless. He'd spoken the truth when he'd told Aiya that he was glad to be home but he was also anxious to get back to Central and continue his mission. Nick felt slightly guilty about his restlessness but there was nothing he could do about it. It was simply in his nature to be that way.

_"I wish Mom would hurry up with my arm," _Nick thought to himself as he and Aiya sat out in the yard two days after Nick's arrival in Resembool. _"I need to get back to Central and continue my research."_

Later that same day Winry emerged from her workshop and went in search of her two children. She found the two children and Lt. Griffon sitting beside the river that was a short distance from their house. "Nicholas," Winry said as she walked over to the spot where the three of them sat. "Your arm's ready. So you can come back to the house whenever you're ready and I'll reattach it."

Nick nodded and stood up. He'd been ready since his arrival and didn't want to wait another second.

Aiya and Lt. Griffon jumped to their feet and followed Winry and Nick back to the house.

Nick followed his mom into the living room of the house, where he proceeded to remove his black shirt. Then he sat down on a chair and waited. The boy took a few deep breaths, fully aware of what he was about to endure. Having worn auto-mail for a couple of years, he was familiar with this pain although he was fairly sure that he would never get used to it. There were just some things in life that never got any easier and this was definetely one of them.

Winry walked over to the chair where her son sat, carrying his new arm, and after making a few adjustments she attached the new appendage to her son's shoulder.

Nick bit back a scream of pain as the nerves of his shoulder attached to the auto-mail. The pain caused when his mother attached his new arm was so great that Nick nearly passed out from the sheer magnitude of it. Anticipating his son's near collapse, Ed rushed over and grabbed him as he slumped over in his chair.

"It's okay kiddo," Ed said softly, cradling the boy in his arms. "I've got you."

Ed walked over to the couch and gently lay his son down. Then he covered the boy with a light blanket.

Winry walked over and knelt down beside her son, whose eyes were clamped tightly closed. "I'm sorry Nicholas but the pain will lessen soon."

Nick nodded, unable to speak. His jaw was clenched tightly shut against the pain and he knew that if he unclenched it and attempted speech the trembling that he was barely managing to suppress would overwhelm him.

While Nick lay on the couch recovering, with Aiya sitting on the floor by his side, the three adults assembled in the kitchen. Winry made each of them a cup of tea and they sat around the kitchen table.

"No matter how many times I do that it never gets any easier."

Ed placed a comforting hand around his wife's shoulders.

Tears glistened in Winry's eyes. "I know it has to be done but that doesn't take away from the fact that I'm causing him pain. That's something no mother should ever have to do to her son."

Lt. Griffon's gaze shifted in the direction of the living room. "I'd heard stories but I had no idea that attaching auto-mail was so painful."

Winry nodded. "It defies description. You have to have actually experienced it for yourself in order for your explanation of the pain to even do it justice. I know it's horrible but even I don't know the full extent of it."

Lt. Griffon stared admiringly in the direction of the living room. "He's a brave young man, your son."

Winry nodded.

"And you're brave yourself ma'am," Lt. Griffon said. "Doing what you do to help your son even though it causes you great grief."

Winry looked surprised at this statement from the military officer. No one had ever called her brave for torturing her son before. She wasn't sure how to react to it.

"I realize you may not think so," Lt. Griffon said, noticing the look on her face. "But it's true."

Winry smiled slightly, grateful for the lieutenant's attempt to cheer her up. She knew that it wasn't bravery that made her do what she did. She did what she did because it was what Nicholas wanted and she would do anything for him, no matter how hard it was for her.

That was her duty as a mother.

* * *

Nick spent about half an hour recovering from the attachment of his new arm and then he sat up slowly and tested the movement of his new appendage. Although he could still feel the pain that had been caused when his nerves had connected with the mechanism, it had lessened substantially and was now much more bearable. The trembling had almost completely stopped and the pain had lessened enough for him to experiment a little and truly evaluate his new limb. He moved his fingers and then made a fist, noticing that his mom had made a few improvements to this new arm. He inwardly marveled at his mother. _"You gotta hand it to her. Her work gets better every time."_

Nick got to his feet and went in search of his mom, so that he could thank her. He found her, his father and his bodyguard in the kitchen.

"Feeling better?" Ed asked as the kid took a seat in a vacant chair.

"Much," Nick replied. Then he turned to his mother. "Thanks Mom. The new arm's great."

Winry smiled. "You're welcome Nick. So I suppose now you'll be heading back to your busy life in Central?"

Nick nodded. "Yea. I need to get back to my research."

"Research huh?" Winry said, a knowing look in her eyes. "Well you'd better be careful while you do this 'research', because if anything happens to that auto-mail you'll be sorry."

"Okay Mom," Nick said with a laugh.

* * *

The next day Nick and Lt. Griffon walked the short distance to the train station, accompanied by Ed, Winry and Aiya. Nick's family stood on the platform and waved as the train containing Nick and his escort pulled away.

"Take care Nicholas," Winry shouted as the train picked up speed.

Nick waved to his family until they were out of sight and then he sat down in his seat across from Lt. Griffon. He was happy to be back in commission and yet sad at the same time. Now he could continue his mission but his family was sad.

"Cheer up kid," Lt. Griffon said. "When we arrive back in Central, you'll be rid of me. Doesn't that make you happy?"

Nick laughed. "You know you're actually not that bad. I still maintain that I didn't need a baby-sitter but I'm sure there are worse people that Mustang could have stuck me with."

Lt. Griffon smiled at the rather unusual and completely unexpected compliment from the boy who, only a few days earlier, had completely disdained the sight of him.

"So," Nick said in an offhand voice. "Do you intend to tell Mustang that I gave you the slip? You could get me into a lot of trouble if you wanted to."

"I don't think so," Lt. Griffon said. "That would serve no purpose other than to get us both in a lot of trouble. I just don't see how that would be productive so I won't say anything if you don't."

Nick nodded, a new respect for this man forming.

A/N- and thus ends yet another chapter of Nick's story. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	10. New Friend?

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Ten - New Friend?**

Nick had just returned to Central after spending nearly a month in the south and he was already bored out of his mind. He'd only been back a couple of days and he was already looking for excitement, for something to distract him from the normalcy of Central. "This is why I hate coming back to Central," the boy grumbled to himself as he walked casually down the street in downtown Central. "It's almost as boring here as it is in Resembool and that's saying something right there."

At least the boredom would soon be remedied. He had an appointment to meet with his superior later that evening and he was fairly sure that he would receive an assignment. At least that was what usually happened when Havoc asked to see him.

"And it's about damn time too," Nick muttered, thinking about the possibility of a mission. "I don't know how much longer I can take this."

Nick was nearing the edge of the city, still grumbling random complaints to himself, when he noticed a group of men gathered near an old, rundown building. The boy stopped and gazed at the men intently. Nick's curiosity was instantly aroused.

"I wonder what's caught their attention."

Deciding to see what was so great around the building the boy strolled casually over to the group of men. He was about ten feet away when he discovered what exactly it was that had captured the attention of the men. A young girl, appearing to be around the same age as Nick stood with her back against the building surrounded by the men.

"That can't be good," Nick said, his pace quickening.

One of the men in the group heard the sound of Nick's footsteps as he approached and he turned around and gave the boy a menacing stare.

"So," Nick said casually, coming to a stop a few feet away from the group. "What's going on?"

"None of your damn business you nosy little twerp," one of the larger men in the group sneered. "It doesn't concern you brat so you'd better run home to your mommy before you get hurt."

Nick smirked as he surveyed the group, which consisted of ten really huge, ugly men. He was thoroughly unimpressed with their attempts to scare him off. "I think not. If my Mother ever found out that I ran from the likes of you, she'd beat me up. And I gotta tell ya, given the choice I'll choose weaklings over Mom anytime."

That comment, while true, did nothing to help the situation. Quite the contrary, it seemed to piss the men off and they shifted their attention from the girl to Nick.

The boy smiled. "So you wanna fight huh? Okay but I feel compelled to warn you guys that you don't stand a chance against me. However, if you absolutely insist on trying, I'll be more than happy to beat you to a bloody pulp."

The burly leader of the group threw his head and roared with laughter.

The young woman, who had been silent up until this point, glared at her would be rescuer and yelled, "You'd best run away while you still can. I don't need your help anyway. I can take care of myself."

Nick glared back at the girl, annoyed by her words. And after he was trying to help her. Some people were just ungrateful. "I don't run away from anyone so regardless of whether or not you need my help you've got it. So deal with it."

"Uhhh," the girl growled, exasperated. Fine, if the kid wanted to get himself killed then why should she care? Unfortunately she realized that she really did care. She vacated her spot against the wall and ran over to stand at Nick's back.

"This isn't necessary," Nick said. "Why don't you get outta here while I have them distracted?"

"Because my conscience won't allow me to run away and leave a little kid to get himself killed."

Nick's eyes narrowed and he whirled to face the girl. "What did you just call me?! **LITTLE KID!! **You're not any older than I am."

"Maybe not," the girl said in a mocking voice. "But I'm taller."

Nick's eyes narrowed.

As soon as Nick's attention shifted from them to the girl, the men saw their chance. The leader motioned for one of his cronies to attack. The underling nodded and ran toward Nick, who was still yelling at the girl.

"Hey kid," the girl exclaimed, interrupting Nick's tirade. "This is just a thought but don't you think you should be paying attention to the people who want to kill you?

Nick clasped his hands together and his right arm transformed into a blade, ripping his shirtsleeve and the white glove that he wore to conceal his automail. Nick whirled to face his attacker, only to discover that the man had frozen mid-attack and was now staring at him with a stunned expression on his face.

"Hey boss," one of the other cronies stuttered, addressing the leader of the group. "We're fighting an alchemist. You didn't tell us we'd have to fight an alchemist."

"It changes nothing!" the leader roared. "Now get over there and kill him. But be careful not to hurt the girl. We need her alive."

The men nodded, although they still looked rather nervous, and all nine of them ran over to the two kids.

Nick laughed, an evil grin appearing on his face. "Now things are starting to get interesting."

"I can't believe you're enjoying this," the girl exclaimed as Nick kicked the legs out from under one of his attackers.

"What can I say; I've been bored for way too long so this is a welcome distraction."

"You're insane."

"Thank you," Nick said, punching another man in the nose.

After watching several of his comrades fall to the young alchemist, one of the men pulled a long knife from his coat. "That's it brat. You're dead."

"I've heard that one before." Nick smirked as he surveyed the group, thoroughly unimpressed. "You guys must suffer from stupid bad guy syndrome. And unfortunately there's no cure except to have the crap beaten out of you. And even then there's no guarantee."

While Nick and the girl were fighting several of his cronies, the leader of the group managed to come from behind and grab the girl by the arms. The man quickly ran his arms under the girl's armpits and held her in a chokehold.

"Let go of me!" the girl yelled, capturing Nick's attention.

The boy whirled around to find that the girl he was trying to protect was back in the hands of the enemy that he was trying to protect her from. "Damn!"

Nick started toward the man who'd captured the girl but stopped short when he felt something pierce his shoulder. The boy looked around and saw that one of the men had thrown a knife, which had embedded itself deep within his shoulder.

"That was a cheap shot," Nick hissed, pulling the knife from his shoulder and fighting against the piercing pain caused by this action.

The man that had thrown the blade grinned evilly. "Foolish child. In the real world people don't fight fair."

Now that the men were throwing knives Nick knew that his hand-blade would be a disadvantage since he had to be relatively close to his foe in order to use it. So with this knowledge in mind he scanned the area, looking for something else that he could use. Suddenly he spotted a pile of debris a few yards away.

"That'll work," Nick said, running toward the pile of debris.

"So you think you can run now, huh kid?" the man with the knife sneered. "Afraid it's too late for that."

He gave chase.

Nick reached the pile of debris before his pursuer could catch up to him and he clasped his hands together, transmuting a staff from the pile of junk. Staff in hand he whirled to face the man who was running toward him.

Completely shocked that the boy he was chasing had whirled around and was now headed straight toward him, the man froze in his tracks.

Nick knocked his pursuer out of the way and then ran straight toward the group of men. With his new weapon, which could be used at a distance as well as up close, Nick made short work of the men until all but the leader lay on the ground unconscious.

Nick pointed the staff at the leader of the group, who still held the girl in a chokehold. "Let the girl go."

"I don't think so boy," the man said with a sneer. "And if you care about her safety, you'll back off and let me walk away."

Nick held the staff upraised for a few seconds, debating what he should do. However, he didn't have to think long because the man suddenly dropped to his knees, a pained expression on his face, his hands gripping his groin.

"I will **NOT** be used as a human shield, hostage, or anything else by the likes of you," the girl spat out viciously as she turned to face the man.

"Eww." Nick grimaced as he watched the man roll around on the ground, in obvious agony. "I feel your pain buddy. I think you would have been better off fighting me. You still would have gotten beat but at least I wouldn't have racked you."

The man's only response was a low, agonized moan.

"And you," the girl said, whirling to face Nick. "I told you that I didn't need your help."

"Get over yourself," Nick said with a smirk, surveying the group of men lying unconscious on the ground. "You may have taken out the leader but I'm the one who disposed of his nine lackeys."

The girl rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I think you should go home now," Nick said, his tone gentler. "Before anyone else decides to come and play." And with that Nick turned around and began to walk away.

The girl watched him walk away for a few moments before she noticed the pool of blood on the ground where the boy had been standing and a path of blood droplets trailing from the pool to the boy. The boy was apparently losing a fairly significant amount of blood.

"Wait," she called out after him.

"What?" Nick halted and turned to face the girl.

"You're hurt!" The girl ran over to the spot where Nick was standing.

"It's nothing." Nick absently raised his hand and placed it over his shoulder wound. Up until that point he hadn't noticed how much blood he was losing nor how much the wound hurt. The adrenaline rush caused by the fight had kept him from feeling the pain but as the level of adrenaline in his blood lessened the pain from the wound increased and Nick stared down at the pool of blood that was on the ground.

"Don't lie to me," the girl said, pulling his hand away and examining the boy's wound.

Nick winced as the girl's fingertips brushed against the edge of his stab wound and he quickly pulled away. "Leave me alone. I told you the wound isn't serious."

The girl glared at Nick, a stern expression on her face. "Yes you did tell me that. And you were lying. We've covered this already. Now we really should go and get that wound looked at."

Nick scowled but the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted any comment he might choose to make. Turning toward the noise, Nick held up his staff, preparing for another fight.

"There you are Miss Kaori," a masculine voice called out.

Nick stared in open-mouthed amazement as a group of soldiers emerged from the shadows, led by a large muscular man that Nick didn't recognize.

"Oh no," Kaori muttered under her breath, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. "Of all the people who could have found me it had to be him. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

He-man and his group of soldiers came to a stop in front of Nick and Kaori. "We've been looking all over for you Miss Kaori."

"Well now you've found me," Kaori said. "What do you need?"

"Only to know that you are safe," the man said. "I saw you leave without an escort and that worried me."

Kaori groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you people, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself?"

Ignoring her tirade, the military man turned to face Nick. "And who is your companion Miss Kaori?"

The angry expression left Kaori's face, replaced by a look of surprise. "Heh, heh you know I never actually got around to asking him what his name is. However, all things considered, it's not surprising that asking his name wasn't way up there on my list of priorities."

"What?! You mean you're traveling around with a complete stranger. You should know better than that Miss Kaori."

"Lay off Colonel Armstrong," Kaori said, glaring angrily at the man. "I'm not traveling with him. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time. It's merely a coincidence."

"Well," Nick said, interrupting them. "Not that this hasn't been fun filled beyond belief but I really should be going. Besides, Muscle Man over there is seriously creeping me out. Later."

"Hold it!" Kaori said, halting Nick's retreat by grabbing his braided hair.

"That hurt," Nick said, pulling his hair free from her grasp and turning to face her, his eyes narrowed.

"Not half as bad as it could have," Kaori told him. "And I told you, you're going to let someone look at that wound."

"And I told you that----"

But Nick's words were cut off by Col. Armstrong.

"The boy is injured?"

"Yes," Kaori said. "It's a pretty nasty stab wound and he refuses to let someone look at it."

"Will you lay off?" Nick exclaimed. "I'm fine and I'm leaving."

"Afraid not runt," Kaori said, once again catching hold of Nick's braid.

"Runt? **RUNT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT?!"**

This time Nick completely ignored the pain caused when he pulled his braided hair from her grasp. He whirled around to face the girl, his eyes narrowed menacingly and snapping fire.

Col. Armstrong's eyes widened as he listened to Nick's tirade and suddenly it dawned on him who the boy must be. "Young Elric?"

"Huh?" Nick turned around and stared at the muscular military officer.

"So it is you," Armstrong said. "The young State Alchemist under Col. Havoc's command."

Nick nodded. "Uh huh."

"You're a State Alchemist?" Kaori asked in surprise.

"Uh, yea."

"Oh you poor thing," Kaori's voice was filled with sympathy.

"Hey what's up with the sympathetic stare all of a sudden? Your expression changed, not when I was stabbed like a normal person's would, but when you found out I'm a State Alchemist. Why is that?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Kaori said. "And I refuse to be the one who disillusions you."

"You are evil incarnate."

"No," Kaori smirked. "That would be my dad."

"Huh?"

"Enough talk," Armstrong said, interrupting the two kids. "We should get the boy back to headquarters so that his wound can be cared for."

"For the last time, I'm. . ."

Nick's words were cut short however, when Col. Armstrong picked him up and tossed the boy over his shoulder. And with that, he began walking toward headquarters, followed by Kaori and his men.

"Put me down!" Nick yelled.

The group accompanying Col. Armstrong completely ignored Nick's tirade. They continued on their way to Central Headquarters, completely ignoring the fact that Nick was yelling at them.

"Damn them," Nick muttered once he realized that his screams weren't really accomplishing anything.

Once the group arrived at Central HQ, Armstrong placed Nick back down on his own two feet. "Now come along Young Elric. And we'll get that wound taken care of."

Nick nodded, resigned to the fact that he couldn't win this particular battle. The boy followed Col. Armstrong inside HQ and down a long corridor, which he'd never noticed before. At the end of the corridor, Armstrong stopped in front of a door. He knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back.

"Come in," a voice called out from within the room.

Armstrong opened the door and stepped back so that Nick could enter.

"Damn," Nick muttered, his plans having once again been ruined. Armstrong had made it so that he could not bolt once the colonel walked through the door. Dejected, Nick hung his head and entered the room, followed by Col. Armstrong who closed the door behind them.

A middle-aged man sat behind a large wooden desk, flipping through a stack of papers. He looked up when Nick and Armstrong entered his office and offered them a friendly smile by way of greeting. "Hello Col. Armstrong."

"Good evening Dr. Pierce," Armstrong said. "I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid you may already have gone home for the evening."

Dr. Pierce smiled. "Unfortunately not. I had some paperwork that I had to get done."

"I'm sorry to disturb your work."

"Not at all," Dr. Pierce said, casting a disgusted look down at the stack of papers in front of him. "I'm actually grateful for the distraction. So what can I do for you Colonel?"

Armstrong placed his hand on Nick's uninjured shoulder. "The boy has a stab wound that I'd like for you to take a look at."

"Of course," Dr. Pierce said, standing up.

The doctor walked around his desk and over to Nick. "Take off your shirt kid."

Nick unzipped his black over shirt and pulled his left arm from the sleeve, leaving the rest of the garment to hang. He winced as the material rubbed against his wound but remained silent.

Dr. Pierce drew in a breath when he saw the stab wound on the boy's shoulder. "That's a pretty fierce looking wound you've got there kid."

"Uh huh." Nick gritted his teeth as the doctor touched the edges of the wound with his fingertips.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Pierce said as he examined the wound. "I know it hurts but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to torture you further. That wound will have to be cleaned and stitched closed."

"That's nice," Nick said sarcastically through gritted teeth.

"We'll have to go to the hospital," Dr. Pierce informed the boy. "I don't have anything here to numb the wound with."

"Then stitch it up without numbing it," Nick ordered.

"You must be joking!" Dr. Pierce stared at the boy in disbelief. "Do you realize how much that would hurt?"

Nick pulled off his white glove, completely removed his black shirt and held up his auto-mail arm. "I think I can handle it. Compared to the pain of being equipped with auto-mail, having a wound stitched closed without numbing medication can't be all that bad. Besides, I have to go and find out the details of my next mission so I really don't have time to go to the hospital so either stitch it up here or leave it alone. Either way, I don't care."

Dr. Pierce shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do it here, nor can I allow you to leave without treatment. If you try to resist I will have you forcibly taken to the hospital."

The patronizing look on the doctor's face managed to thoroughly piss Nick off and the threat didn't serve to help matters either. The boy groaned. The nerve of this guy, threatening him, a State Alchemist. "You know, I was hoping to avoid this but there's simply no way at this point. Lieutenant," Nick glanced at the insignia on the man's uniform that identified his rank. "Now I'm gonna have to pull rank on you. I order you to stitch the wound closed here."

"You can't do that!" Dr. Pierce exclaimed staring at the boy, his eyes wide in disbelief. Such an impertinent youth.

"Oh but I can," Nick said, a smug expression on his face. "You may find this shocking but I too am a member of the military and I outrank you."

Dr. Pierce glanced at Armstrong, a questioning look in his eyes. "Is he serious?"

Armstrong nodded. "Technically the boy does outrank you. As a State Alchemist, his rank is equivalent to that of a major."

Nick grinned triumphantly. "So what'll it be Doc?"

Dr. Pierce let out an exasperated sigh. "Have it your way kid but just remember, I warned you."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Nick said. "You can't tell us kids anything these days."

"Isn't that the truth," Dr. Pierce said.

Dr. Pierce walked over to an oak cabinet in the corner of the office and opened one of the drawers. He rummaged around inside the drawer for a few moments before pulling out sutures and a wicked looking curved needle.

The doctor pointed toward a chair. "Have a seat kid."

"Would you stop calling me kid?" Nick grumbled as he sat down. "The name's Nick. Nick Elric."

"I see," Dr. Pierce said as he prepared his supplies. "So you're the young State Alchemist." He stared intently at Nick for a few moments. "I must say, I'm surprised a scrawny little thing like you has lasted this long in the military."

Teeth clenched and hands balled up into fists, the boy thought to himself, _"He's asking for it."_

Dr. Pierce saw the boy's clenched fists. "You know kid, if you're like this before I even start stitching the wound maybe you'd better rethink your decision not to go to the hospital."

"This has nothing to do with the thoughts of the pain that I'm about to endure," Nick said through clenched teeth. "I'm **NOT** a scrawny little thing."

"If you say so kid," Dr. Pierce said.

**"STOP CALLING ME KID!!"**

"Sorry," Dr. Pierce apologized quickly. "Okay NICK**, **are you sure you wanna go through with this?"

"Just do it already," Nick said, beginning to loose patience with the doctor. "I told you before I'm kinda in a hurry here."

"Alright," Dr. Pierce said, preparing his needle. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Whatever."

Dr. Pierce cleaned the wound and then began the tedious process of stitching the edges of the wound closed.

As the doctor worked, Nick's thoughts wandered back to the month directly following his failed human transmutation.

(It had been a little over a month since Nick had attempted to bring his little sister back from the dead and his shoulder had healed fairly well in that length of time.

"Lookin' pretty good kiddo," Ed said as he changed the boy's bandages.

"Do you think it's healed enough for Mom to equip me with auto-mail?"

Ed's face paled at that question from his son. He stared at the boy, a sad expression on his face. "I don't know Nick. You'll have to ask her."

Nick pulled his black shirt back on and stood up. "Let's go and ask her then."

The look on Ed's face said plain as words that he'd rather be tortured repeatedly than do what his son asked of him and yet he followed the boy anyway. He knew that he couldn't let the boy face Winry alone, not considering the request he was about to make.

The two guys found Winry working in her shop, being closely observed by Aiya who was perched on the table beside her mother. Winry looked up from her work when she heard them enter the room.

"Well look who it is." Winry smiled at her son, who hadn't been up and around very much since he'd first been injured. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"I have a question," Nick said.

"What is it?"

"Do you think my shoulder's healed enough for auto-mail?"

"Possibly," Winry said, not exactly grasping where her son was going with the conversation. "I've given auto-mail to people with newer wounds but every case is different. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want you to equip me with auto-mail."

All the blood drained from Winry's face. "You can't be serious." She'd thought that her son had merely had a casual interest in auto-mail, never even considering that he might have a desire for the surgery himself.

Nick nodded. "Come on Mom. I know you can do it. You've done it to hundreds of people."

"That's different," Winry said. "I don't even know most of the people that I equip with auto-mail so it doesn't affect me the way that it would to give it to a close family member. You're my son. I don't think I can inflict that kind of pain on you."

"Then don't think of me as your son." The solution seemed simple to Nick. "Just pretend I'm a total stranger."

Winry turned to face her husband. "Edward."

"Don't look at me." Ed held up his hands. "I had nothing to do with this. It was all him."

Winry sighed and turned back to her son. "Are you sure you really want

auto-mail Nicholas? You realize that the pain involved with the surgery defies description right?"

"I know," Nick said, his face determined. "But I don't wanna go through life with just one arm. But if you don't wanna do it, I understand. I can find someone else to do it if you prefer."

Winry shook her head. "No Nicholas. If you're serious about auto-mail then I'll equip you with it. I don't like the thought of inflicting that kind of pain on you however it would be worse to know that someone else was doing it."

Nick smiled. "Thanks Mom. I know that auto-mail is expensive and I realize that I have no money but I'll find a way to pay you. I'll work off the debt if I have to."

"Don't worry about that kiddo," Winry said. "If you're still sure you want auto-mail at the end of the week then we'll proceed with the operation."

Nick nodded.

Four days later Nick hadn't changed his mind and he found himself sitting on a table in the operating room, dressed only in his boxer shorts and surrounded by wires and a vast assortment of equipment. His mother and his great grandmother entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Last chance Nicholas," Winry said, facing her son. "Are you absolutely sure that you wanna do this?"

Nick nodded, a determined look in his golden eyes. "I have to."

"Okay." Winry's eyes were sad but her words determined. "Let's begin."

And with that, the operation began. Nick had heard stories and he'd even heard the screams of people whom his mother had equipped with auto-mail and yet even he was not prepared for the level of flesh searing pain that was inflicted upon him as his mother attached each of the nerves of his shoulder to the mechanism of the mechanical arm that would soon be a functioning part of his body. Nick gritted his teeth to keep from crying out from the excruciating pain and he managed to strangle the cry to a whimper. His mother gazed at him sympathetically, however, she continued with the operation because it was too late to stop at that point.

"Hang in there kiddo." Winry spoke to her son in a soothing voice, hoping that her words would help him, if only just a little. "It'll all be over soon."

Nick nodded, his teeth remaining clenched.

After Winry attached the auto-mail arm, she and her grandmother picked the boy up and transferred him to his bedroom. They lay the boy down in his bed and Winry covered her son with a light blanket.

The boy's eyes were clenched shut and his jaw was locked in position.

Winry sat down beside her son and smoothed the boy's hair. "It's okay Nicholas. The pain will lessen soon."

Nick opened his eyes and gazed up at his mother. "Thanks Mom," the boy whispered, tears glistening in his eyes. "I know how hard that was for you but I'm grateful that you did it."

"You're welcome," Winry said, tears appearing in her eyes. She got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of water and a washcloth. She dipped the washcloth in the bowl, rung out the excess water and placed the cloth over her son's forehead. "Granny Pinako and I are going downstairs but I'll be back up to check on you in a little while, okay Nicholas?"

Nick nodded, closing his eyes again.

Winry and Pinako walked into the kitchen, where Winry sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. Pinako quickly made two cups of tea, one of which she handed to her granddaughter.

"That was horrible," Winry said, clenching her eyes shut against the memory of what she had just done to her son and gripping her head with her hands. "I just tortured my own son. At least when I helped you to equip Ed with auto-mail he was just my friend. That was hard but it was nothing compared to this. I can't help worrying that I did something wrong and caused him more pain than he had to endure."

"You did fine Winry," Pinako said in a comforting tone of voice. "And after all, it is what Nick wanted. And since he's just like Ed, there really would have been no way to talk him out of getting auto-mail. The two of them are just stubborn that way. So it was better to have you, the best auto-mail engineer around, do it than someone whose skills aren't as good. Nick was far better off than many people who get auto-mail. Besides, he's young and he'll bounce back quickly. In a matter of days the pain he just endured will seem like a distant memory to him."

Winry smiled weakly. "Thanks Granny."

Pinako smiled at her granddaughter.

The night after the surgery Nick developed a high fever. The pain of his surgery was still intense and along with the fever it was almost more than the young boy could bare. Winry sat beside her son, smoothing his hair with her hand.

The boy's face was covered with a damp washcloth and tears slid down his face.

"I'm sorry Nicholas," Winry said, her voice breaking. "I shouldn't have put you through this."

"Don't say that," Nick whispered in a weak voice, fighting to keep his voice steady. "I'm grateful that you did."

Winry sat with her son that night and watched as he slept fitfully, reliving the horrors that had resulted in his acquisition of the auto-mail arm that was causing him so much pain.

"Harmony," Nick moaned in his sleep, tossing in his bed, his fever flushed face covered with a damp cloth. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Nicholas," Winry choked out.

It was pure torture for Winry to watch her son suffering and yet she knew that she could do nothing to help him through this other than to offer him comfort. She would gladly give her life for him but she couldn't help him with this.

A couple of days later Nick finally felt well enough to get out of bed. He sat up and tentatively moved the fingers of his new appendage and even through the pain he was able to tell what an exceptional job his mother had done. She truly was the greatest auto-mail engineer in the world.

"I should go and thank her," Nick said. The boy got out of bed and pulled on a pair of black pants and a black shirt. Then he descended the stairs and went in search of his mother.

Nick found his mother and great grandmother in the kitchen, each with a cup of tea in their hands.

"Well look who's up," Pinako said, smiling at the boy. "So, how are you feeling kiddo?"

"I feel okay Granny Pinako," Nick told her.

Nick sat down beside his mother. "Mom, thanks again for giving me auto-mail. It's great."

Winry smiled at her son and leaned over to give him a hug. "You're welcome Nicholas and I'm glad you're happy with the auto-mail.")

"Okay I'm finished," a voice said, interrupting Nick's thoughts.

Nick snapped back to the present and stared at Dr. Pierce, who held the curved needle in his hand. "You're done?"

Dr. Pierce nodded.

"Well that was surprisingly painless." Nick said, grabbing his black outer shirt from the edge of the desk where he'd deposited it earlier. Nick used his alchemy to repair the rip in his shirt caused by the knife and to remove the bloodstain and then he pulled the shirt on.

"Well doc, thanks for the repair work," Nick said. "Just send the bill to Col. Havoc. It's the least he can do for all the trouble he's caused me."

And with that, Nick left the doctor's office.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice called out as Nick walked out into the hallway.

"I'm leaving," Nick said, turning to face Kaori. "And since I'm all stitched up now you can't say anything about it. So back off."

Kaori stared at Nick in disbelief. "Stitched up? Here?"

Nick nodded.

"But that's impossible," Kaori said her voice filled with disbelief. "Dr. Pierce doesn't keep any medications in his office so there's no way that he would stitch that wound closed here. He couldn't have numbed the wound first and he wouldn't have stitched it closed under those circumstances. He would only do that in an absolute emergency. You're lying to me."

"He didn't numb the wound," Nick said. "But he did stitch it closed."

Nick hadn't bothered to zip his shirt closed after he'd put it back on and as he spoke he slid his shirt down off his shoulder and revealed the bandage covering his shoulder wound.

Kaori gasped. "You let him stitch your wound closed without numbing it first?!"

"Actually I ordered him to," Nick said, pulling his shirt back on. "I didn't have time to go to the hospital and it was just faster to let him stitch the wound up here. So that's what I told him to do. Besides, I've endured the pain of having auto-mail attached and nothing compares to that pain. Nothing. So the sting of that needle piercing my flesh was nothing."

"You really are insane," Kaori said, staring at Nick in disbelief.

"I've been told that a time or two," Nick said with a grin. "As a matter of fact I've now been told that twice by you alone. But that's okay. It's just more fun to be that way. And on that note I really should go since the whole reason I made the doc stitch the wound here was so that I wouldn't be late for my meeting with Col. Havoc and if I keep talking to you I'm gonna be late anyway. Later."

And with that, Nick walked down the hall and headed off in the direction of Col. Havoc's office, where he was due in five minutes. Nick ran down the hall toward Havoc's office and knocked on the door, announcing his arrival. Then, without waiting for an invitation, he opened the door and walked inside.

"Welcome Fullmetal," Havoc said. "Running a little late?"

"Hey I'm here on time," Nick said in his own defense.

"This is true," Havoc said. "But I was expecting you here early since you had nothing else to do, aside from wander around Central aimlessly."

Nick glared at Havoc. "For your information I just spent the last few hours saving some girl's life. And I have the stab wound to prove it. So lay off Colonel. Besides if you wanted me here earlier then you should have told me that."

"Oh, struck a nerve did I?" Havoc said, feigning innocence.

Nick glared at his superior even harder.

"Don't give me that look," Col. Havoc said. "You are my subordinate after all."

"True," Nick said, although his expression did not change. "For now at least. Alright, so why exactly did you wanna see me Colonel?"

"I have a mission for you," Havoc said.

Nick perked up immediately at that news. "Really? When do I leave?"

"In three days you will travel by train to East City," Colonel Havoc informed the boy. "I have a letter to the commanding officer that I'd like for you to deliver."

"Why do I have to deliver it? It doesn't sound like a job for a State Alchemist," Nick said, his enthusiasm over the mission diminishing. "Can't you just mail it?"

Havoc shook his head. "It's too important to just mail. I need for you to hand deliver it."

"Alright," Nick exclaimed, deciding that even this poor excuse for a mission was better than remaining in Central. "Finally, something to do besides roam around this boring city."

Colonel Havoc stared at the boy. "Why are you so excited about this? You've only been back in Central for a few days."

"I know," Nick said. "And this boring place is about to drive me insane. There is absolutely nothing to do around here."

Col. Havoc shook his head. "Your attention span is entirely too short. Just like you."

Nick's eyes narrowed. **"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!!"**

"Your temper's that way too apparently," Havoc said, ignoring the nasty look that the boy was giving him, however tactfully avoiding using the word short again. "You should probably get some rest before you leave."

"Whatever," Nick said with a shrug.

"You're off duty for the next two days," Col. Havoc informed the boy. "I'll meet you at the train station in three days, at noon. Until then, you're dismissed."

Nick stood up and left the office.

As the boy left the office, someone else entered it.

"Hello General Hughes," Nick said as the man walked past him and opened the door of Colonel Havoc's office.

"Hello Nicholas," Hughes said, offering the boy a friendly smile.

Hughes entered the office as Nick walked away from it. Hughes closed the door behind himself, walked across the room and sat down in front of Havoc's desk.

Havoc saluted the Fuhrer's second in command.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise General?"

"I was wondering if you'd heard what happened to Nicholas this evening," Hughes said.

Havoc shrugged. "Fullmetal said something about saving a girl's life and getting stabbed in the process but that's all I've heard and I don't even know if he was telling the truth or not."

"Oh he was telling the truth all right," Hughes said. "I just finished talking to Armstrong about it and he confirmed it. Nicholas helped a girl in trouble and got stabbed in the shoulder in the process. But that's not the interesting part. You'll never guess who the girl was."

"Who?"

"Kaori."

Havoc's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You mean Kaori as in Fuhrer Mustang's daughter Kaori?"

Hughes nodded.

"Whoa," Havoc said. "I wonder how the kid will use that to his advantage."

"He won't," Hughes said. "Nicholas doesn't know that he saved the life of Mustang's daughter. He doesn't know Kaori and she didn't tell him who she was and neither did anyone else."

"So basically the kid has one hell of a hold over the Fuhrer and doesn't even know it."

"That's about the size of it," Hughes said.

"So does the Fuhrer know that Fullmetal saved Kaori's life?"

"Not yet," Hughes said. "We decided that it would be better, and safer, if we let Kaori break that news to her father. Even she agreed."

"I'm with her." Havoc said. "It's probably safer for her to break the news to him. I definitely wouldn't wanna be anywhere near when he finds out that Fullmetal saved his daughter."

"I hear that," Hughes said.

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter and a new character was introduced. I really love Kaori and hope that you do too. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	11. Mission to the East

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Eleven - Mission to the East**

Three days after Nick had been issued his orders about the mission to the East, the boy headed to the train station to catch the train that would transport him to East City. There he met Col. Havoc who had promised to meet him at the station to see him off on his mission. Nick had informed his superior that he was a big boy and could handle his departure all on his own however Havoc had insisted on being there none the less.

"Now kid," Havoc said. "Make sure you fulfill your mission and try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum."

"Collateral damage?" Nick groaned, rolling his eyes in the direction of his superior. "How much damage can I possibly do simply delivering a letter?"

"I don't know," Havoc said, shaking his head in the boy's direction. "But I'm sure you'll find a way. You always do."

Nick rolled his eyes again, gave his superior officer a rather sarcastic salute, and then boarded the train. The boy made his way down the isle and took a seat next to a window in the back of the train. Nick always preferred to sit as far away from other people as he possibly could and as the boy sat down he glanced out the window and noticed that Col. Havoc was standing in front of the window next to which he was sitting. The Colonel rapped on the windowsill, a goofy looking grin on his face. Nick groaned and lowered the window. "What?"

"I forgot to give you an important order that could be vital to your mission."

Nick stared at his superior in utter disbelief. "And what might that be?"

"Don't die."

And with that the colonel whirled around on his heels and walked away from the train, laughing hysterically as he went.

"I really hate you," Nick called out after him as he went.

"I know," Havoc called out with a careless wave over his shoulder.

"You're such an ass!"

Ignoring the boy's rant Col. Havoc kept walking.

Nick slammed the window closed and sat down heavily in his seat. "I can't believe him. Don't die. That sounds like something Mustang would say."

Nick was glaring at the empty chair across from him, still muttering complaints under his breath, when he felt the train lurch and begin to move. He was now bound for East City, to deliver a letter to the commanding officer of Eastern Command, Col. Fox. He had no idea what the contents of the letter were or why Col. Havoc couldn't have simply mailed it. However even this poor excuse for a mission was better than being stuck in Central where he would be bored out of his mind.

* * *

The journey to East City proved to be uneventful and at the same time mind numbingly boring.

"I can't handle this," Nick said, his head gripped in his hands. "If this train doesn't arrive in East City soon I think I'm gonna snap."

"Oh calm down," a voice said suddenly.

Nick looked up and saw Kaori sitting in the seat directly across from him. He hadn't even heard the girl sit down and was completely shocked to see her sitting across from him, a smile on her face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Now is that any way to greet a friend?" Kaori asked him with a smile.

"And since when are we friends?" Nick asked, glaring at the girl.

"Well that was mean," Kaori said.

"Glad you think so," Nick shot back, glaring at the girl. "Cause it was meant to be."

"I think you need to take a nap or something," Kaori said, shaking her head. "This long trip on the train has made you grumpy."

"Stop treating me like a little kid!" Nick burst out angrily.

"Stop acting like one and I'll stop treating you like one," Kaori said calmly, a look on her face that for some strange reason reminded Nick of the Fuhrer.

"Why are you here anyway?" Nick asked, changing the subject before a full-scale fight broke out between the two of them. "You never did answer my initial question."

"I'm traveling to East City," Kaori said. "I thought that was rather obvious seeing as how that's where the train is going."

Nick glanced around and saw that they were the only ones still in the car. "Traveling alone huh? That's kinda dangerous."

"I'm not alone. I brought two body guards with me," Kaori said, smiling at the confused look that immediately appeared on Nick's face. "So all together we're a trio. It's Me being protected by Myself and I."

Nick glared at the girl. {Something he did a lot, it seemed.} "You are such a smart ass."

Kaori smiled. "Sorry but I can't help it. It's genetic."

"Genetic huh?" Nick said thoughtfully.

Kaori nodded. "Yea. I got it from my dad and there's nothing I can do about it. It's all his fault."

"Really? I think I should track him down and inflict grave bodily harm upon him."

For some reason Nick couldn't figure out, Kaori didn't take offense to that statement. In fact she actually seemed to find that threat against her father very amusing. The girl covered her mouth, in an attempt to hide her laughter.

"You find that amusing?"

"Kinda," Kaori said, still chuckling softly.

"Why?" Nick wanted to know.

"Because if you're anything like the other members of the military I'm sure that at times you really do wanna track him down and cause him grave bodily harm."

This statement only served to further confuse Nick. He arched an eyebrow as he continued to stare at the girl. "Do I know your father?"

"If you're really a state alchemist then yeah, you know my father. And I'm sure you dislike him, for the same reason."

Now Nick was really confused. "Who is he?"

"A member of the military," was all Kaori would tell him.

"Okay fine," Nick said, giving up on finding out who Kaori's father was. There were so many people in the state military that he occasionally wanted to inflict bodily harm upon that he simply couldn't figure out who it could be.

* * *

A few hours later the train that Nick had been trapped in began to slow down. Nick stood up and stretched, a broad smile appearing on his face. "It's about time. I thought this boring train ride would never be over."

Kaori shook her head, as she gathered up her things. "You're like a little kid."

**"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!!!"**

"You're really hung up on that aren't you?" Kaori said with a smile.

Nick glared at her but didn't comment.

"Okay, okay," Kaori said, holding up her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Nick said sullenly.

Kaori smiled. "You're right, I'm not."

When the train finally came to a lurching halt Nick jumped up and grabbed his suitcase from the storage compartment overhead and hastily exited the train. "Finally."

"In a hurry are you?" Kaori called out, hurrying to catch up with Nick.

"Not really," Nick said. "I'm just really tired of being on that train."

"You're too hyper for your own good," Kaori told him, falling into step behind him.

"Why are you following me?" Nick came to a stop and turned to face his companion.

"Because I can." Kaori stared at the boy as though daring him to protest or to try and make her go away.

"Whatever."

Nick began the walk to the Eastern Command Headquarters, anxious to complete his lame excuse for a mission. And since she didn't have anything better to do, Kaori tagged along behind him. The walk to East HQ only took about fifteen minutes and when the two kids arrived, they came face to face with two armed guards.

"Halt," the larger of the two guards called out.

Nick and Kaori stopped.

"Where do you kids think you're going?" the other guard asked.

"Inside," Nick replied, looking at the man as though that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Afraid not kiddo," the larger guard said. "Only military personnel are allowed beyond this point."

"So then what's the problem?" Nick asked. "I am military personnel."

That statement caused both guards to burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Nick asked angrily.

"You actually think we'd believe that a runt like you is a member of the military." The smaller of the two guards eyes were open wide in disbelief. He obviously thought that the young boy was lying to him. Trying to sound big or something along those lines.

Kaori took a couple of steps back upon hearing these words, as though preparing for the fireworks that were soon to come.

"Damn it all," Nick growled, narrowing his eyes at the guards. The nerve of these two, calling him a runt and doubting what he told them. Then he suddenly remembered the one sure way to prove that what he was saying was true. His face brightened and he couldn't realize that he hadn't thought of this earlier. After all, it wasn't as though this particular problem was a new one. It seemed to happen to him all the time. Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out his silver pocket watch. The symbol of a State Alchemist.

The two guards immediately ceased laughing.

"You're a State Alchemist?" the larger guard exclaimed.

Nick nodded.

The two officers immediately jumped to attention.

"Sir!" the two guards chorused in unison, raising their hands in salute.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding sir," the larger guard said in an apologetic tone of voice, hoping that the young State Alchemist wouldn't hold a grudge. The kid could get both of them into a whole lot of trouble if he chose to. "May I ask what your business here at East HQ might be?"

"I'm here to deliver a letter to Col. Fox," Nick replied, even though he didn't think it was really any of their business why he was there.

"Of course," the guard said.

The two guards opened the gates and then stepped aside so that Nick could enter.

"I'll wait here for you Nick," Kaori said, knowing full well that she too could gain entry to the military headquarters yet choosing not to pull that particular string. Nick didn't know about her ties to the military and she'd just as soon keep it that way. She didn't like the way people treated her when they found out that she was the Fuhrer's daughter and she wanted Nick to make his decision about her based on her personality and not who her father was.

Nick nodded and entered the military headquarters. He quickly walked across the small courtyard and entered the building. Once inside the building, Nick walked over to a desk where a woman officer sat.

The woman looked up when she heard Nick's approach. "Can I help you?"

Hoping to save time and effort, Nick pulled his pocket watch out and showed it to the woman. "I'm here to deliver a letter from Col. Havoc in Central to Col. Fox. Could you tell me where I might find him?"

"He's in his office." The woman pointed in the direction of a hallway. "It's down the right corridor, last door on the left."

"Thanks," Nick called out over his shoulder as he walked toward the right side corridor. He walked down the corridor until he reached the last door on the left. Then, coming to a stop in front of the door, Nick knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter," a voice called out.

Nick opened the door and entered the office. Once inside Nick saw a man sitting behind a large, mahogany desk. Deciding to give the unknown officer the benefit of the doubt and show a little respect Nick stopped just in front of the desk and saluted the man behind it. "Col. Fox?"

"Yes," the man said. "And you are?"

"Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The man's eyes lit up. "A State Alchemist huh? That's amazing for a child of your age. It's a pleasure to meet you. So tell me, what brings a State Alchemist out to this dust bowl?"

"I'm a glorified mailman," the boy said in disgust, rolling his eyes. Nick pulled the letter from his superior out of his pocket and handed it to Col. Fox. "I was sent here by Col. Havoc to deliver this letter to you. So here you go."

Col. Fox took the letter from the boy and offered him a smile. "Thank you."

Nick bowed and turned to leave. "I'll be in East City for another day if you desire to send a reply." And with that Nick left the office.

Nick quickly walked back outside, toward the gate. Once he was at the gates the guards quickly opened them and allowed Nick to leave. Kaori had been sitting on the grass a short distance away from the gates and she got to her feet when she saw Nick.

"Are you ready to go?" Nick asked.

Kaori nodded and walked over to Nick. "So where are we off to?"

Nick shrugged. "I have no idea. But I planned to stay in East City at least until tomorrow so I have to find some way to amuse myself until then."

Kaori nodded.

And so Nick and Kaori began their impromptu tour of East City.

The two kids were traveling down a side street, arguing, when they were approached by a man that neither of them knew. And yet the man seemed to know Nick. The man was of average height and had dark hair and grayish blue eyes. The man wore a cut off t-shirt that revealed his muscular arms and the thing that really set the man apart which was the two transmutation circles that he had tattooed on both of his biceps.

"What wonderful luck," the man said. "Fate has brought me a State Alchemist. And not just any State Alchemist. It's the Fullmetal Alchemist, Nicholas Elric. The youngest State Alchemist in the history of the State Military."

Nick stared at the man, amazed that the man knew so much about him. He racked his brain, attempting to recall whether or not he'd ever met this man before however nothing came to mind. "Do I know you?"

"Most likely not," the man said, staring at the boy with a look of contempt. "But I know you. And I know that you're an obedient dog of the military and for that you must be punished."

Kaori stared at the man in disbelief. "Well you had me going until you said that you knew he was an obedient dog of the military. Now I know you're full of crap. This pipsqueak is anything but obedient."

**"DON'T CALL ME A PIPSQUEAK, HALF-PINT MIDGET!"**

"Calm down Nick," Kaori said in a placating tone of voice. "At the moment I'm the lesser of two evils so you might wanna focus some of that anger on the man who obviously wants to hurt you."

"I'll take you both on," Nick growled, his golden eyes narrowed in anger.

"That won't be necessary," Kaori said. "I think we should focus all our attention on that guy. After all, he's trying to kill you while all I did was call you a pipsqueak."

"Fine." Nick gritted his teeth and gave Kaori a glaring look that told her plain as words that this was not over, merely postponed. "We'll focus on him for now but I intend to deal with you later."

"Whatever," Kaori said.

"So, you think you have what it takes to challenge me little man?" the strange man asked with a sneer.

A vein popped out on Nick's forehead and his eyes narrowed menacingly. **"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!!!"**

"Small, runt, pipsqueak, half-pint midget, shrimp."

A few more veins popped out on Nick's forehead. "Just for that I'm gonna kick your ass twice as hard."

"Bring it on little man."

Nick clasped his hands together and transmuted his auto-mail arm into a metal blade. Then he ran toward the man, swinging his arm wildly.

Kaori groaned as she watched the boy swinging his arm wildly and missing the man with every blow. "This is just great. The blood's gone to his head again. We're doomed."

"I heard that," Nick said. "If you think you can do better, feel free to join in."

Kaori hesitated, not sure whether her joining the fight would help or hurt Nick, and the man saw that hesitation as an opportunity to gain an advantage in his fight against Nick. The man ran over and grabbed Kaori.

"Hey," Nick yelled. "Leave her out of this. She's not a member of the military so she isn't involved in this. This fight is between you and me."

The man sneered, unable to believe the boy's ignorance. "Not a member of the military huh kid. She's far more valuable than any mere member of the military and yet you act as though you don't know who this young lady is."

Nick stared at the man, a perplexed look on his face. "What do you mean I don't know who she is? She's a girl from Central named Kaori. What else is there to know?"

"This girl is Fuhrer Roy Mustang's daughter," the man said in a bitter voice, tightening his grip on the girl's shoulders. "And that means she deserves to die purely on that basis."

"Bastard," Kaori hissed, elbowing the man in the stomach.

The man groaned and loosened his grip on Kaori, who immediately ran out of reach. The man quickly regained his composure and refocused his attention on Nick. "I'll get that little witch after I deal with you boy."

"You think so?" Nick said. "We'll see about that."

And with that the fight continued.

Nick had gained the upper hand when the transmutation circles on the man's arms suddenly began to glow. Then the man dropped to his knees and struck the ground with his fists. Red lights erupted from the ground, which was suddenly torn apart. Nick jumped out of the way of the flying debris, barely escaping the multitude of flying rocks. Nick tucked himself into a ball, rolled and jumped to his feet, quickly preparing himself for the next attack.

"Damn," Nick cursed under his breath. "At least now I know what the transmutation circles on his arms do. That means he's lost at least a little bit of his advantage. He won't be able to take me by surprise again."

Nick clasped his hands together, dropped to his knees and transmuted a staff. The staff rose from the ground, surrounded by bright blue lights and Nick quickly grabbed it. Nick pointed the staff at the man.

The man smirked, seeming not the least bit concerned about Nick's change of weapons.

"You think you're something special don't you?" Nick lifted his staff and pointed it at the man. "Well I intend to knock you down a peg or two."

"Take your best shot."

"I will."

Nick ran toward the man, his staff pointed out.

The man held his ground and as soon as Nick got close, he grabbed the staff and his transmutation circles once again began to glow.

"Nick look out!" Kaori yelled.

Nick tried to get out of the way of the attack but he wasn't quick enough. The alchemy made the staff and the very ground that Nick was standing upon explode and Nick was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast. Rocks and bits of broken wood and metal from the staff struck him with great force, knocking the breath out of him.

"Uhn," Nick groaned, rising up.

Kaori watched in horror as the psycho alchemist walked toward Nick, a malicious gleam in his eyes. It was as though everything was happening in slow motion and yet she was frozen where she was, powerless to help him. "Get away!"

Nick made a move to run but was stopped short when the man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The boy groaned as he was lifted off his feet and held suspended above the ground.

The man punched the boy a couple of times, as though releasing a large amount of pent up anger and then his transmutation circles began to glow once more, which Nick and Kaori had learned signaled an impending attack of horrific magnitude.

"Another State Alchemist is about to die." The man's voice held a definite note of defiance.

"Tell me something," Nick said softly, barely able to speak due to the pressure on his throat. "What did I ever do to you? I don't even know you."

"True enough," the man said, his eyes glowing with hatred and revealing not even a trace of sympathy for the child who's life he was about to end. "However your fate was sealed the moment you became a dog of the military. State Alchemists are cowards who give the rest of the military a bad name."

"Huh?" Nick said, now completely confused. The man didn't seem to hate the entire military, only the State Alchemists. That was unusual. Most people who hated one part of the military hated the whole thing, not just one particular branch. But not this guy. He believed that the elite of the military were also the scum of the military.

"State Alchemists are supposed to be the elite of the military and yet they're never around when their fellow soldiers truly need them. My father was a regular, run of the mill soldier and he was killed in the rebellion in Lior because the three State Alchemists that were in Lior didn't arrive until after all the soldiers were massacred. Then on top of all that, the military covered the whole thing up. No doubt to protect the three worthless State Alchemists. I find that unforgivable and because of this I have made it my life's mission to track down and kill as many State Alchemists as I can. My father died because they weren't doing their job!"

"I'm sorry about that," Nick whispered. "But you're taking out your anger on people who had nothing to do with it. I wasn't even alive when the Lior rebellion took place."

"It doesn't matter," the man said, refusing to let this boy sway his thoughts away from his mission. State Alchemists were the scum of the universe. All State Alchemists, there were no exceptions. This boy was no different from the other State Alchemists, no matter how young he was, and he deserved to die. "All you State Alchemists are just alike and you all deserve to die."

"Who the hell are you?" Nick gasped, struggling to breathe despite the man's grip on his throat.

"You can call me Hunter," the man said with a smirk. "Or at least you could if you weren't about to die."

Nick struggled to keep his eyes open but the lack of sufficient oxygen was beginning to take its toll on him. He gasped for breath, his lungs burning, but he was unable to draw a decent breath and his vision was beginning to grow blurry as a result of oxygen deprivation.

"So we all deserve to die do we?" came a new voice.

"What the. . ."

The man whirled around and saw two uniformed military members standing at the entrance to the alley.

"Dad!" Kaori yelled, her eyes lighting up at the sight of them. "Col. Havoc!"

"Fuhrer Mustang." A twisted smile appeared on the man's face once he realized who he was facing. "What an honor."

"I may be the Fuhrer but I was a State Alchemist first," Mustang said. "So if you have a problem with State Alchemists then you have a problem with me." He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Now let the boy go."

"Sure thing," the man said, releasing his grip on Nick's collar and allowing the boy to drop to the ground. The boy was small compared to the man now standing only a few feet away and could be dealt with at any time. "I can come back and finish off the boy after I deal with you."

Once he was released Nick fell limply to the ground. He didn't even have the strength to stand and crumpled immediately and just lay on the ground. Kaori ran over and knelt down at his side, a concerned expression in her eyes as she gazed down at the boy.

"You're such a tough man." Mustang glared at the man, his voice low and taunting. "Beating up on small children. Let's see how you fare against an adult opponent."

"I think I'll fare pretty well," the man said.

"Think again," Mustang said, pulling a white glove from his pocket and putting it on his right hand. Mustang held up his now gloved hand, revealing the fact that the glove had a transmutation circle drawn on it. Mustang snapped his fingers together and flames shot from his hand, missing his opponent's head by mere inches.

"What the. . ."

"Didn't realize that you were facing the Flame Alchemist, did you?" Mustang smirked, thoroughly enjoying the look of surprise on the man's face. It had been a long time since he'd used his alchemy in combat and here he was in his element. "That would be your bad."

"The Flame Alchemist," the man whispered, his eyes growing wide. "You're the Flame Alchemist?"

Mustang nodded.

"You were there," the man said, his eyes glazing over. "You were a colonel then and you were there. In Lior. It's your fault."

The man made a move to attack Mustang again but was stopped short by a volley of bullets from Havoc's gun. The man stopped short and glared at Havoc a second before he suddenly turned and punched the side of a building, the transmutation circles on his arms glowing as he did so. A large hole appeared in the building and the man ran inside, knowing that for the moment he was outnumbered.

Choosing not to pursue the man Mustang and Havoc instead turned their attention to the two children. Mustang ran over to his daughter while Havoc walked over to his young charge.

"Kaori," Mustang said, grabbing his daughter by the shoulders, his eyes quickly moving over her body searching for any signs of injury. "Are you okay?"

"Yea Dad," Kaori said, nodding. "I'm fine."

"Thank goodness," Mustang said. Then his emotions abruptly changed from one of great relief to one of great anger. "What did you think you were doing, slipping off and taking a train to East City? You could have been hurt or even killed. Don't you know it's dangerous out here?"

"Why is it more dangerous for me than it is for Nick?" Kaori asked, now angry herself. She was tired of everyone treating her like a helpless little kid. "I'm the same age as he is and I'm also an alchemist. I can take care of myself. So why is it okay that he came but not okay that I did? Tell me that."

Mustang opened his mouth to respond but didn't get the chance.

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt sir," Havoc said from a few feet away. "But I think we should seek medical aid for Fullmetal."

Mustang turned to look at the young boy whom Havoc now held in his arms. The boy's face was deathly pale and his breathing was light. Blood covered the boy's torn black shirt and a pool of blood covered the ground where the boy had fallen when his attacker had released him. Postponing the argument with his daughter he nodded his head in agreement. "I think you're right Col. Havoc. We'll take him to the military base. It's not far from here and they should have a doctor there."

Havoc nodded and the group began the short walk across town to the Eastern Command Center. It took the group about fifteen minutes to reach the base and when they did, they came face to face with the two armed guards.

Recognizing their visitor immediately the two guards jumped to attention and saluted. "Welcome Fuhrer Mustang."

"We need a doctor," Mustang told the guards. "There is one here at East HQ, correct?"

"Yes sir," the taller of the two guards replied.

"Good," Mustang said. "Open the gate."

The two guards saluted again and quickly moved to obey the Fuhrer's orders. They opened the gates and Mustang, Kaori and Havoc, who carried Nick in his arms, entered the base. The group walked across the small courtyard to the front entrance of the building and was greeted by two more armed guards, who immediately saluted them.

"Welcome Fuhrer Mustang."

"We need a doctor," Mustang repeated. "Can one of you men escort us to the base doctor?"

Once of the men saluted again. "Of course sir. Follow me."

The guard led the group into the base, down a long corridor to a door at the far end of the hallway. "Here we are sir. This is Dr. Lee's office."

"Thank you Sergeant," Mustang said, nodding his head in the soldier's direction. "You are dismissed."

The guard saluted and then left to return to his guard duty.

Mustang knocked on the door and when he heard a voice call out, "Enter," he opened the door and walked inside the room, followed by the rest of the group. Once inside the room they saw a fairly young man sitting behind a mahogany desk. When he saw who his visitor was the man quickly jumped to his feet and saluted.

"At ease," Mustang said. "Are you Dr. Lee by chance?"

"Yes sir," the man replied.

"I have need of your services then."

At this point Havoc stepped forward from the back of the room and Dr. Lee's gaze fell to the limp boy who rested in the Colonel's arms. Realizing that the boy needed immediate care, Dr. Lee brushed everything from his desk into the floor. "Lay him down right here," Dr. Lee said in a commanding tone of voice.

Havoc nodded. He walked across the room and placed Nick on the desk.

"We'll leave you to your work," Mustang said, knowing that the doctor would be better able to do his job without the three of them hovering around. And with that he, Havoc and Kaori left the room.

* * *

Mustang and the others sat out in the hallway for nearly half an hour before Dr. Lee emerged from his office. Mustang stood up and looked expectantly at the doctor.

"I did what I could for the boy with the resources that I have on hand," Dr. Lee said. "And he is stable for now. But I think it would be best if you took him back to Central so that a better equipped doctor can tend to him."

Mustang nodded. "Thank you for everything you did for him Dr. Lee."

Dr. Lee saluted.

"Col. Havoc," Mustang said. "Get Fullmetal and we'll be on our way to the train station. I think the sooner we get back to Central the better."

"Yes sir."

Havoc walked back into the doctor's office and scooped Nick up into his arms once more. Then he went back out into the hallway where Mustang and Kaori were waiting for him.

"I'll have a car sent for you immediately sir," Dr. Lee said. "I think it best that you not waste any time returning to Central."

"Thank you," Mustang said.

True to his word, Dr. Lee had a car waiting for them when they exited East HQ. The group climbed inside the car and the driver drove them to the East City train station. As luck would have it a train bound for Central was preparing to leave and Mustang paid for the groups' passage and they boarded the train. Once inside the rail car, Havoc sat down on one of the seats and placed Nick on the seat beside him. Mustang and Kaori sat down in the seat directly across from them.

Still unconscious, Nick leaned heavily against Havoc.

"Oh I can't wait to rub this in." Havoc gazed down at Nick's head, which was resting on his shoulder. "Fullmetal will never hear the end of it."

"That's mean," Kaori said.

"I know," Havoc said, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Colonel at least wait until Fullmetal recovers before you begin to torment him over this incident," Mustang requested. "That way there's no chance that his recovery will be slowed. The last thing I need hanging around HQ is a useless State Alchemist."

"Yes sir," Havoc said.

Kaori stared at Nick as the train traveled toward Central and as bad as she hated to admit it, she much preferred his earlier restlessness over his current state. Although he was quiet on this trip, it didn't make Kaori happy.

_"Come on Nick,"_ Kaori thought to herself. _"Wake up and complain a little. At least that way I'll know that you're okay. I can't stand seeing you like this."_

Despite Kaori's silent pleading Nick remained unconscious.

* * *

After spending several hours on a train, the group arrived back in Central. When the train came to a halt Mustang and Kaori quickly stood up. Havoc stood up carefully and then scooped Nick up into his arms.

"Let's get Fullmetal to the hospital as quickly as possible," Mustang said.

Havoc nodded and followed his superior out of the railcar and off the train. Kaori followed behind the two men, trying not to hinder their progress.

Mustang had called ahead and alerted Central Command of their return and a car was waiting for them just outside the train station. The group quickly climbed into the car and made their way to the military hospital in Central. The driver of the car seemed to sense the groups' urgency to get to the hospital and drove as fast as he could safely travel through the streets of Central. The driver made good time and Mustang was relieved when he saw the Central Military Hospital come into view.

The car pulled up in front of the hospital and the driver jumped out, ran around to the back and opened the door. Mustang and Kaori climbed out and got out of the way so that Havoc could get out with Nick. The group quickly entered the hospital and turned Nick's care over to the doctors. Then they sat down to await news.

* * *

A few hours later Nick was resting quietly in a room in the hospital, having been examined and treated by the medical staff. Kaori was with Nick, sitting in a chair that had been placed by his bedside. Mustang and Havoc, having been assured by doctors that Nick would be okay, had returned to Central HQ but had told Kaori that they would return later on in the day.

Kaori was sitting at Nick's bedside when the boy began to show signs that he might soon regain consciousness. The boy moaned slightly and the muscles of his face began to twitch.

"Nick," Kaori called out in a soft voice. "Wake up Nick."

"Uhn," the boy groaned, his eyelids fluttering. Nick opened his eyes slowly and stared up at Kaori, who was leaning over him. "Where am I?"

"You're in the military hospital in Central," Kaori told him.

"How the hell did I get here?" Nick asked, staring around the small room in surprise. "I thought we were in East City."

"We were," Kaori said. "Yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

Kaori nodded. "We were fighting that alchemic mad man and he was winning. That's when my dad showed up."

Suddenly Nick remembered the fight and the arrival of Mustang. He also remembered a shocking bit of information that his opponent had revealed to him before he proceeded to beat him senseless. He glared at Kaori, an accusing look in his golden eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell me that you were Mustang's daughter? I never would have let you off the train in East City if I'd known who you were. If you'd gotten hurt Mustang would have killed me. I can't believe you kept that information from me."

Slightly hurt by Nick's accusing tone but not wanting to upset him in his current state Kaori held her voice low. "It just never came up. I don't exactly go around advertising that fact."

"You should have told me," Nick said.

"True enough," Kaori said. "I'm sorry."

"Damn it all," Nick groaned in an aggravated voice, the true horror of the situation just beginning to sink in. "So I was rescued by Mustang and Havoc. Of all the people who could have came along it just had to be the two of them. I'll never hear the end of this."

"Come on Nick," Kaori said in an attempt to cheer him up. "It can't possibly be all that bad."

"You have no idea." Nick shivered as he recalled all the things the two men had done to torment him since he'd joined the State Military. The list was long and he hadn't even been a State Alchemist for full year yet. "Those two delight in tormenting me."

Kaori gazed at Nick. Her thoughts went back to the reactions of her dad and Col. Havoc when they'd examined Nick's injuries and discovered their severity. Both men had been worried about the boy and Kaori viewed that as proof that despite what they might say, or what Nick might think, the two men really did care for the boy.

_"Should I tell him?" _Kaori thought to herself. _"No," _she finally decided. _"He'll find out soon enough. Besides, he'd just get pissed off if I told him and I'd rather avoid that if at all possible."_

Nick sat up slowly and moaned as his wounds began to throb. _"Movement is definitely bad,"_ Nick thought to himself but he willed himself to work through it and he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Don't push yourself," Kaori warned.

"Oh lay off," Nick said. "I've had worse than this and you can bet the next time I see that man he'll be the one who suffers."

"The next time?" Kaori gasped. "You mean you plan on going after that man again?"

"Of course." Nick's voice was filled with conviction.

"You can't be serious," Kaori said. "He nearly killed you and if my dad and Col. Havoc hadn't come along when they did you probably wouldn't have survived the encounter."

Nick shrugged. "That's the past. I won't let that happen again. Now I know what to expect from him and our next battle will be different."

"You're hopeless," Kaori said.

"Hmm," Nick said, not even bothering to deny her accusation.

* * *

Later that evening Nick was lying in bed when he heard a knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, Nick called out in a soft voice, "Come in." The door opened and General Hughes and his daughter Elicia entered the room.

"Hey Nick," Hughes said, smiling at the boy. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good all things considered," Nick replied.

"Glad to hear it," Hughes said. "We were worried about you and Gracia insisted that I come and check on you."

"So news has spread already huh?" Nick said.

"Not too far," Hughes said, knowing full well what the boy was worried about. "Mustang only told those of us who are closest to you. So relax kid. I don't think knowledge of this incident will be widespread until after you recover."

"That's a comforting thought," Nick said.

"Hey kid you should be thankful for what you can get," Hughes told the boy in a fatherly tone of voice. "Col. Havoc could very easily have made a public announcement about your little battle. But he didn't."

"True," Nick reluctantly conceded. "I wonder why. He must be planning something."

"Don't be so suspicious," Kauri admonished.

"I'm not being suspicious," Nick said. "I just know these people."

Now that he was sure that Nick was going to be okay, Hughes felt slightly more at ease. "You just can't seem to stay out of trouble can you? This is the second time this week that you've had need of a doctor."

"It's not my fault I'm so popular," Nick said shrugging his shoulders.

* * *

"So Roy, what can you tell me about this man they call Hunter?"

Fuhrer Mustang leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "He's almost like a copy-cat killer. He targets State Alchemists and his methods are very similar, almost identical in fact, to those that Scar employed. However Hunter isn't a true copy-cat because he seems to have his own set of motives for the slaughter of State Alchemists."

Ed nodded and stared gravely at the Fuhrer. He was thinking of his young son, lying in a bed in the military hospital. When he'd arrived in Central Ed had traveled directly to the military hospital to check on his son. However he did little more than assure himself that the boy would make a full recovery before traveling to Central HQ. He was determined to find out what had happened and how.

"And this man is after Nick."

It wasn't a question but a statement of fact yet Mustang felt the need to affirm those words.

"Based on all the information that he knew about Nick we can assume that he had set his sights on Nick way before their chance encounter in East City," the Fuhrer said. "And based on our intelligence, we have every reason to believe that he will target the boy again in the future. And I must say Ed, your son does little to dissuade this from happening. Quite the contrary, it's almost as if the boy's looking for trouble."

"Yea that sounds about right," Ed said with a wry smile. This was payback for his own youth, he was sure of it. _"Equivalent Exchange."_

"On the bright side your son is an incredibly skilled alchemist," Fuhrer Mustang said, attempting to lighten the dark mood that had descended upon the office. "So he stands a better chance than most."

"Skilled yes," Ed said, nodding his head in agreement. "but also young and reckless. A distinct disadvantage against this kind of opponent."

"Don't worry Edward," Fuhrer Mustang said in a reassuring voice. "I have people keeping an eye on him. He's safe."

"Yea, while he's here in Central," Ed said. "But we both know that this is an unlikely place for Hunter to strike. He'll wait until Nick is out of the military's backyard to make his move."

Ed had a valid point but Fuhrer Mustang didn't want to think about it. "We're doing all we can Ed, what more do you want from me? I can make up some reason to court-martial the boy if you think he'll be safer away from the military."

"No," Ed said quickly. "You can't do that. Nick had some reason for leaving Resembool and coming to Central. And he obviously thought that joining the State Military would help him find whatever it was he's searching for. Therefore he must remain in the military for the time being, at least until I find out exactly what his ultimate goal is."

"And once you find out what the boy's after?" Fuhrer Mustang said quietly. "What then?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Ed said with a shrug. "Haven't planned that far ahead."

Fuhrer Mustang rolled his eyes. "And why doesn't that surprise me Edward?"

Ed's gaze narrowed and he leaned forward in his chair and pointed his index finger at Mustang. "Watch it. I can still destroy you, you know."

"Maybe you can and maybe you can't Edward," the Fuhrer said with a smirk. "That is neither here nor there. I believe the purpose of this meeting was to discuss Hunter."

Ed relaxed a degree and leaned back in his chair. "This is true. So how many alchemists have you lost to this guy?"

"Seven that were confirmed to have been killed by Hunter," Fuhrer Mustang said.

"So the copy-cat has killed far less than Scar," Ed said.

"Yes," Fuhrer Mustang said, a grave expression on his face. "But these attacks only started a few months ago so the current number has no bearing on how much of a threat the man is. And we still have no idea exactly who the man is. Hell, Hunter may not even be his actual name. It may just be an alias or perhaps a title he's given himself."

"So that's all you and your men know about him huh?" Ed said.

"More or less," Fuhrer Mustang said. "All we have are random bits of information that make no sense when put together. We're missing important pieces of the puzzle but rest assured that we will find this guy."

* * *

Nick spent nearly a week in the hospital before his doctor decided he'd recovered enough from his injuries to be discharged.

"Now kid," the doctor said, as Nick prepared to leave. "I'm letting you out of the hospital but you're off active duty for the next couple of weeks. No more missions for you for awhile."

"What?!" Nick exclaimed, not at all happy about the doctor's decision. "I'm well enough to resume my duties as a State Alchemist."

"Afraid not," the doctor said. "Your fitness for duty is my call and I don't think you're ready just yet. And I've already informed Col. Havoc of my decision, in case you decide to try and leave him out of the loop. So have a nice vacation."

And with that the doctor left.

"Damn you," Nick muttered as he watched the doctor's retreat. Nick pulled on his black shirt and left the hospital room that he'd been trapped in for nearly a week. As he walked out of the room he ran into Kaori, who was standing out in the hallway.

"Hello," Kaori said as Nick walked out into the hallway.

"Hey," Nick said.

"I heard you were getting out today." Kaori smiled at Nick. "So I came to walk with you. Do you mind?"

Nick shook his head, slightly surprised that he really didn't mind the thoughts of her company. "No, I don't mind."

And so the two kids left the hospital and began the walk toward the Hughes house. They'd only walked a short distance when Nick suddenly stopped.

Kaori was immediately concerned. "Are you alright Nick?"

"I'm fine," Nick assured her. "Listen, I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you before."

"It's okay Nick." Although she acted as though it was no big deal inside Kaori was beaming. She knew how difficult it must be for Nick to apologize to her and she was pleased beyond measure that he did. "Don't worry about it."

Nick smiled and continued his trip to his temporary home.

* * *

Since the doctor had ordered that Nick spend the next two weeks resting Col. Havoc refused to give the boy a new mission and flat out forbade him from going back to East City.

Not surprisingly that really pissed Nick off.

"Come on Colonel," Nick said. "This forced vacation that the doctor ordered isn't necessary. I'm more than ready to return to active duty. You can give me another mission."

Not surprisingly Col. Havoc refused to be swayed by his young subordinate's anger. And the boy's repeated requests did nothing but frustrate the colonel.

"No. You're going to take it easy for the next couple of weeks like you were told," Col. Havoc said, a slight note of frustration in his voice after Nick's fifth request for permission to leave Central and continue his mission. "So stop asking for permission to leave. The answer is no and it will continue to be so. Now go and find something to amuse yourself but make sure that it's not too strenuous."

So Nick left his superior's office but he wasn't quite ready to give up his wishes to leave Central and resume his mission. "I could just leave without his permission."

"You can't do that," Kaori said, from where she stood against a wall.

Nick hadn't noticed her standing there and he jumped when he heard the unexpected comment.

"Where did you come from?"

"I've been around," Kaori told him. "But don't change the subject. If you leave without permission, you'll get into a lot of trouble. You might even be court-martialed. Going AWOL is a serious offense."

"I don't care," Nick said.

"Maybe not but I do."

Nick stared at the girl.

"If you get yourself court-martialed over something stupid like this I'll never forgive you. Just take the time off like the doctor ordered and then you can resume your mission. It's not like two weeks will make that much difference in the grand scheme of things."

Nick frowned as he thought about her words.

"Besides," Kaori continued. "You could probably use a vacation. You and I can hang out if you'd like. That should help alleviate some of your boredom so this forced vacation will be at least slightly more bearable. What do you say?"

"Fine," Nick said. "I'll behave myself."

"Thanks," Kaori said, happy that he'd seen reason.

* * *

And so the two children spent the next two weeks roaming around Central, joking around and generally giving one another a hard time. And although he was still anxious to continue his mission, Nick grudgingly had to admit that he enjoyed spending time with his new friend.

"You know," Nick said one evening as the two sat out in the grass in front of Central Headquarters. "You're not all that bad. Even if you are Mustang's daughter."

Kaori smiled. "I could take that a couple of different ways but I choose to take it as a compliment. And you're not all that bad yourself, even if you are a hot-headed little shrimp."

A vein popped out on Nick's forehead. **"DON'T CALL ME A SHRIMP!!!"**

Kaori laughed.

"It's not funny," Nick muttered.

Kaori grinned and patted Nick on the head. "It'll be okay."

"That, in itself, annoys me," Nick said.

"You just can't be pleased can you?" Kaori asked.

Nick made no comment. He simply sat, staring at the horizon and planning what his next move would be as soon as he was able to resume his mission. Hanging out with Kaori was fun and all but Nick still had a goal to accomplish and he was itching to get back on the job.

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter. a really long chapter. hope you enjoyed this installment, please review and tell me what you thougt. til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	12. Return to East City

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist however all OCs belong to me

**Chapter Twelve - Return to East City**

His forced two week vacation was finally over and after being examined by the doctor who'd ordered his two weeks of rest Nick was cleared to return to active duty as a State Alchemist. This news was a welcome relief to the young boy, who was beginning to fear for his sanity. He had never been one to enjoy being idle and his medical leave was beginning to seriously get on his nerves.

"It's about time." Nick wore a smug look on his face as he snatched his release papers from the doctor's hand.

"Be careful," the doctor called out as Nick left the office, shaking his head as he watched the young boy's hasty retreat. "I don't want to see you back in here. You're too difficult to deal with."

Nick waved his hand over his shoulder dismissively as he left the office.

Nick immediately left the military hospital and traveled directly to Central HQ. He was a man on a mission and wasn't going to allow anyone to get in his way. Once there, the boy immediately made his way down the hall to Col. Havoc's office. Nick knocked on the door but then thrust it open before waiting for a reply from his commanding officer.

Col. Havoc looked up from his paperwork when his office door opened. "Hey Chief. What can I do for you today?"

Nick walked over to Col. Havoc's desk and handed him the papers that he'd gotten from the doctor. The boy grinned triumphantly as Col. Havoc scanned the documents, a serious expression on his face.

"Alright Chief," Col. Havoc said as he finished reading the papers that Nick had handed him. "It looks like you win. You're back on active duty."

"Finally," Nick said.

"So," Col. Havoc said, his gaze focused intently on his young charge. There was a glint in the kid's golden eyes that hinted at the fact that he already had plans. "What do you intend to do now?"

"Continue my research," Nick replied.

Col. Havoc nodded, thinking that Nick had decided not to return to East City. "Keep me informed."

Nick nodded and turned to leave.

"Fullmetal."

"Yes?"

"Be safe."

Nick saluted and left the office.

Once out in the hallway Nick smiled as he moved a lock of his golden hair out of his eyes. "I thought I'd have to lie to him about where I'm going and what I'm going to do but he didn't even ask. That was NOT what I was expecting. I can't believe my luck."

"So what exactly do you plan to do Nicholas?" a voice asked behind him.

Nick gasped and whirled around to see Kaori glaring at him from against the wall. How the hell had she managed to sneak up on him without him having noticed? He was usually more careful than that. "You show up at the most inopportune times, you know that Kaori?"

"And you're changing the subject again Nick," Kaori said, eyeing his suspiciously.

"I'm going back to East City," Nick told her, realizing that she'd be able to tell if he lied to her. "Now, are you gonna run and tell your daddy?"

Kaori shook her head, narrowing her eyes as she gazed over at her friend. "No and I can't believe you think I'd do such a thing. However, I don't think you should go. If you get in trouble this time there won't be anyone there to save you."

"I won't need anyone to save me this time," Nick said confidently, his golden eyes filled with conviction. "I will stop that man this time and he will pay for what he has done."

"Can't you let it go Nick?" Kaori's voice was pleading and her eyes glistened as she stared at her friend. "No good can come of this. You shouldn't seek revenge. Just be happy you're still alive."

"I'm not seeking revenge for myself," Nick told her. "He will pay for taking the lives of State Alchemists for a crime that none of them had committed. And I'm sorry Kaori but I can't just let it go."

Kaori gazed sadly at Nick, whom she'd grown to like over the past few weeks. "You're too stubborn for your own good. And it's gonna get you killed."

"You worry too much," Nick said, in an attempt to alleviate Kaori's fears. "I'll be okay."

"Sure," Kaori said, not at all convinced. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

Nick was sorry for the fact that he was going to cause his friend to worry about him however he had made his decision and there was no talking him out of it. He was determined to find the man who had taken the lives of so many, and had in fact attempted to take his own life, and make him pay.

* * *

After a grueling train ride Nick arrived in East City and, once there, the young alchemist immediately began searching for clues as to the whereabouts of the man that had attacked him. Hunter he had called himself. "I will find you Hunter," the boy muttered to himself as he searched. "Consider yourself the hunted from this moment forward."

Unfortunately it seemed that Hunter had left East City some time during Nick's forced medical leave and after a couple of days of searching the young boy was forced to admit the fact that he wasn't going to find his enemy any time soon.

"But this doesn't mean that I won't," Nick vowed as he prepared to return to Central. He had made a promise to all those who had lost their lives to the State Alchemist killer and he wouldn't go back on that promise. "I will avenge you all."

TBC. . .

A/N - and thus ends another chapter. This is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	13. Homunculi

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirteen - Homunculi**

Nick had recently returned from his second trip to East City, disappointed that Hunter had eluded him for the time being, and he and Kaori were hanging out together. Kaori had met Nick at the train station in Central when he arrived, mainly because she'd been worried about him since he'd left. She was very grateful to see that her friend had made it back in one piece, having spent the time that he was away worried about his safety.

Nick and Kaori were sitting together in a park, on the grass under a large tree. "Nick, there's something I've wanted to ask you since the day we met."

"And what might that be?" Nick asked, gazing over at the young girl with a curious expression in his golden eyes.

"What could possibly possess you to join the State Military at such a young age? I'm an alchemist too but I would have never even considered it."

"To be quite honest I had no plans to join the military when I came to Central." Nick stared thoughtfully at the horizon. "It was Col. Havoc who first suggested it, after I used alchemy to rescue Elicia. It was only after some thought that I decided to take him up on that offer."

"So if you didn't plan on joining the military why did you come to Central?"

Nick hesitated, unsure whether he should share his secret with her. No one else, except maybe his Uncle Al, knew why Nick had left home at the age of eleven and became a State Alchemist. Could he really trust her with the knowledge, the truth about the sin that he had committed?

The boy took a deep breath, his decision made.

"I'm searching for a homunculus."

"A homunculus?" Nick could tell by the tone of her voice that Kaori didn't know what a homunculus was. Oh if only he were that fortunate.

The young boy took a deep breath, preparing for an explanation that he didn't really want to give. "A homunculus is an imitation human that has a mind and body but not a soul. A sort of living doll."

"No way. Are you serious?"

Nick nodded.

"And how exactly are these homunculi created?"

"A homunculus is created when an alchemist fails a human transmutation."

Kaori gasped.

Nick stared down at the hands that were clasped in his lap. "My Uncle Al told me about them. After. . ." Slowly Nick removed the glove that covered his right hand and held up his auto-mail, which glinted in the warm sunlight. "He told me about them after I failed to resurrect my sister Harmony."

A shocked expression appeared in the young girl's eyes as she stared over at her friend. "Nicholas, you attempted human transmutation?! But it's forbidden."

Nick nodded. "I'm well aware that alchemy on humans is strictly forbidden by the laws of the State, not to mention the very laws of nature, but I had to try, because it was my fault that she died. However things didn't go well and I lost my right arm. I thought that was the end of it but it wasn't. I found that out the day before my eleventh birthday.

A far away expression appeared in Nick's golden eyes as he thought back on that fateful day.

(The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a vibrant blue, not even a hint of a cloud overhead. Taking full advantage of the beautiful weather Nick and his younger sister Aiya were out in the meadow not far from their home, playing with their dog Keeva.

The two children had always been close but ever since the death of Aiya's twin Harmony and the subsequent near fatal human transmutation attempt that had nearly claimed the life of her older brother Aiya had clung to Nick more than ever.

Nick still felt the pangs of guilt whenever he looked at his little sister, who was identical to the girl he'd failed to resurrect but he was learning to cope with those feelings of guilt. Right after the human transmutation attempt he'd been unable to look at Aiya without having horrible flashbacks of Harmony's accident and the failed human transmutation. However he was slowly getting over that, much to the relief of his parents.

After spending about half an hour wrestling with both his sister and the dog (who were quite good at tag-teaming him) Nick called for a temporary truce.

"Sorry Aiya," Nick said, attempting to catch his breath as he spoke and sinking to the ground. He sat down, his legs stretched out in front of him. "But I have to take a break. I haven't quite built my stamina back up to where it used to be."

"That's okay Big Brother," Aiya said as she plopped down beside him. "As long as I'm with you I don't care what we do."

Keeva barked, as if in agreement, and sat down on Nick's other side. The dog then lay down and placed his head on Nick's leg, a position that he often took whenever his chosen master sat down on the ground. Nick absentmindedly patted the dog on the head but his gaze was focused on a hill a few yards away from where they were sitting.

"What the heck is that?" Nick muttered as he watched the strange object that was headed toward them.

Aiya noticed her brother's intense stare and she followed his gaze until she, too, saw what had to be the strangest thing she'd seen in all her five years.

"It's someone wearing a suit of armor," Nick mumbled, more to himself than to Aiya. "I wonder what the heck's going on."

As the armor got closer Aiya began to grow alarmed, she moved closer to her brother in an attempt to hide from the approaching curiosity. Nick sensed the girl's fear and placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "It's okay Aiya. Why don't you go and tell Dad that we have a visitor."

Aiya nodded and jumped to her feet. The girl dashed off, happy to be able to get away from the creepy suit of armor.

As his sister dashed off to get their dad, Nick stood up and walked toward the visitor who was now only a few feet away from him. "Is there something I can help you with?" Nick asked the person but he got no response.

"Hello?" Nick persisted.

Still there was no response.

The person in the armor stopped mere inches away from Nick and still they did not say anything, which needless to say really pissed the boy off.

"That's it," Nick burst out angrily as the armor clad stranger stood silently staring down at him. "If you don't tell me who you are and what you're doing here right now I'm gonna be forced to kick your ass until you see fit to tell me. No matter how long that takes."

Still no response.

"Arrr," Nick growled, using his right leg to kick at the stranger's head.

The stranger blocked the blow and when his leg made contact with the armor Nick heard something weird. The blow actually caused an echo throughout the armor.

"What the heck?" Nick exclaimed.

The boy jumped toward the armor, narrowly avoiding being grabbed, and pulled the helmet off. Shocked by what he saw, or rather what he didn't see, Nick jumped back and the helmet clamored to the ground, completely forgotten.

"There's no way."

"Ugh," a voice from behind groaned, interrupting Nick's frantic thoughts. "He's gonna lose his soul for good if he doesn't stop doing that."

Nick turned to find his parents walking down the path toward him.

"Dad, do you know what's going on because this is seriously weirding me out."

All of a sudden the armor fell to the ground, pieces going everywhere, as though its owner had suddenly vacated it.

Nick's eyes grew even larger. "And **THAT** just made it worse."

"We're about to have a visitor," Ed said suddenly. "And I think he'll be able to answer all your questions."

As he spoke, Ed's gaze turned toward the dirt road that led from their modest home in the countryside to the main village of Resembool. Following the direction of his dad's gaze Nick looked that way as well and he saw a solitary figure walking toward them.

"Not another one." Nick tensed, ready for a fight.

Ed placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Calm down Nicholas. Trust me; you don't wanna fight this guy. At least not hand to hand."

As the man drew closer recognition suddenly hit Nick like a bolt of lightening. "It's Uncle Al!"

"Hey kiddo," Alphonse Elric said as he came to a stop in front of Nick and his parents.

Ed walked over to his younger brother and stared at him. "I thought I told you to stop doing the whole soul in the armor thing?"

Al stared back at his older brother defiantly. "And I thought I told you to stop bossing me around?"

For a minute Nick thought that the two of them might actually fight but instead the brothers embraced.

"I've missed you brother," Al said. "How have you been?"

"Doing okay," Ed replied. "It's really great to see you."

Al looked around. "Where's Aiya? Did you guys run off and leave her?"

"She's at home because **YOUR** armor scared her half to death." Al's gaze went to his brother's wife and their childhood friend and he saw that she was staring at him through narrowed eyes.

Al flushed. "Oh. Sorry about that Winry."

Winry walked over to Al and gave him a fierce hug. "It's lucky for you I'm a forgiving soul."

Al smirked. _"And it's lucky for Brother that your back's turned," _Al thought to himself. _"Because he's over there looking like that whole 'forgiving soul' thing is news to him."_

Winry released her grip on Al. "You'd better do something about that armor of yours. You can't just leave it lying on the ground like that."

"Oh, okay Winry."

Al pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and began to pull them on. Nick noticed the transmutation circles drawn on the gloves and he wondered what they were for. What sort of alchemy they did.

"Without alchemy," Winry said.

Al frowned. "Why?"

"Because you've already scared Aiya enough. Do you have any idea how she'd react if that thing came walking into our yard? Sorry but you're just gonna have to do it the hard way."

"Fine." Al turned to his nephew. "Hey Nick, would you mind lending me a hand?"

"Sure Uncle Al."

"You're a good kid. I don't know where people get the idea that you take after your father."

"Watch it," Ed warned, pointing his index finger at his younger brother. "I can still take you, you know."

Al arched a brow and smirked at his older brother. "What are you talking about? You've never been able to take me Ed."

"That was mean."

Al grinned but did not apologize for the remark.

Ed looked as though he were going to say something else but Winry grabbed him by the arm. "We'll meet you two back at the house. Come along Edward."

Ed allowed himself to be led away by his wife but as he went he cast his brother a look that told Al plain as words that it wasn't over yet.

Once he recovered from laughing at his older brother Al bent down and began picking up the pieces of armor that were lying scattered on the ground. "This is gonna take forever," Al mumbled as he and his nephew gathered up the armor.

"So Uncle Al, you gotta tell me how you did that."

Al smiled. "For some reason my soul is easily detachable and by using alchemy I'm able to implant a part of my soul into the armor, animating it for a short period of time. But it's only temporary and the part of the soul always returns to me after a short period of time."

"That is SO COOL!"

Al smiled at his nephew's excitement. The boy loved to learn about all aspects of alchemy. Nick was definitely Ed's son. "By the way, thanks for helping me with the armor. I owe you one."

"It's no problem," Nick said as he loaded his arms with metal. "Glad to be of some assistance."

Once they'd gathered up all the pieces of armor Al and Nick headed toward home. Once there, Al placed the armor in a small storage shed that was located behind the house, used by the Elric family for storage, and then he and Nick went inside.

The family spent an enjoyable evening catching up. Al hadn't been to visit in quite some time and he had lots of stories to tell his niece and nephew and they were both excited to hear them.

The two children sat in the floor in front of Al's chair, gazing up at him in awe as he told them of his adventures.

Nick had been in bed for nearly an hour and yet he found himself unable to go to sleep. There were simply too many things going through his mind and they refused to allow him to fall into the blessed emptiness of sleep.

"This sucks."

Giving up on sleep for the moment Nick tossed his covers aside and got out of bed. He grabbed a pair of black pants out of his closet and pulled them on over the boxers and black tank top that he already wore. Then he left his room.

Nick made his way downstairs and was intent on finding something to occupy his time and his thoughts when he heard his family speaking in hushed voices. The voices were coming from the kitchen.

Curious as to what was going on Nick quietly made his way over to the kitchen entrance. Once there he flattened himself against the wall, listening to a conversation he was clearly not supposed to hear.

"So another one of those things has been created huh Ed?"

"Yes," Ed said slowly.

"Does Nick know about the homunculus?"

"No," Ed replied, his voice breaking. "He doesn't know anything about them. I couldn't bear to tell him. He's endured too much heartache already. I simply couldn't do that to him."

"So did you destroy it?" Al asked.

Ed shook his head. "I went back to the cave after we took care of Nicholas but the homunculus was no longer there. I'm not sure what happened to it."

"Then you're going to have to tell him about the homunculus eventually," Al said. "What if he runs into it or worse what if it comes after him?"

"Come on Al we both know that's likely never to happen," Ed said in defense of the fact that he had left his son in the dark about the consequences of human transmutation. "The homunculus can only gain a human form if it feeds on the stone and how many people could possibly know that? It won't be like last time."

"You don't know that for sure Brother," Al said. "I still think you should tell Nick, just to be on the safe side."

There was no response from Ed.

"So," Winry said, breaking the silence. "Is everything all set for tomorrow?"

"Yep," Ed said, glad for the change of topic. "All goes as planned."

"Wonderful," Winry said.

Judging by the change in the tone of their voices, Nick could tell that they were no longer on the topic they'd been discussing when he'd came downstairs. _"Damn," _Nick swore silently as he got to his feet.

Nick returned to his bedroom and went back to bed but sleep was just as elusive as it had been before and now, on top of that, Nick had one more thing to ponder.

_"And I reiterate, this sucks."_

After spending a long and sleepless night thinking about the conversation he'd overheard, Nick was greatly relieved when day finally arrived. During the night, while he'd tossed and turned, Nick had decided that he had to ask one of the adults what they'd been talking about. He'd more than likely be in trouble because he'd obviously not been meant to hear it but the boy didn't care.

_"It concerns me and therefore I have a right to know," _the boy's mind rationalized. _"Besides, if I don't find out what it was then I'll never get a decent night's sleep." _

His mind made up, Nick dressed in his usual attire of black pants and a black shirt, and then he headed downstairs. Aiya was already downstairs and she flung herself at Nick as soon as he entered the living room.

"Aiya," Nick gasped, the breath having been knocked out of him by his little sister's sudden attack.

Aiya gazed up at her brother, an innocent expression on her face. Nick shook his head and ran a hand through his golden hair. For some reason, when he gazed into his sister's big blue eyes he found himself unable to utter a cross word to her.

"Come on then Shadow," Nick said. "Let's go have breakfast."

Aiya nodded and fell into step behind her brother.

When the two children entered the kitchen they found Ed and Al already seated at the table.

"Good morning kiddos," Al called out to the two kids as they took their places at the table.

"What's the matter Nicholas?" Ed asked, gazing at his son. A look of concern appeared on the man's face.

"It's nothing," Nick said quickly. "I just had a little trouble sleeping last night, that's all." (Nick had already decided not to ask his dad about what he'd overheard the previous night unless it was absolutely necessary. It would be far easier to get the information from someone else. Besides that, the boy didn't want it to be a group discussion. He'd wait for a better opportunity to ask the question.)

"I see," Ed said, his gaze still focused on the young boy. He didn't look entirely convinced of his son's words but was apparently choosing to let the matter drop.

After breakfast Nick went out to feed the dog and for once he didn't have Aiya tagging along behind him. The girl was off helping Winry with something, Nick wasn't sure what. He was, however, thankful that she'd found something more interesting than him for once. It would be much easier for him to get the information he sought without her around.

While he was feeding Keeva, Nick noticed out of the corner of his eye that Al was walking toward the storage building. _"That'll work." _Nick had been waiting for an opportunity to catch one of the adults alone and he'd just been handed a great one.

Nick quickly poured the food into Keeva's bowl and then jogged over to the storage building. "Hey Uncle Al."

Al jumped at the sound of his nephew's voice and moved to quickly close the door of the storage building.

The boy's curiosity was aroused. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing important. Just checking on my armor."

_"That's odd," _Nick thought to himself but decided to drop the matter. He and his uncle had more important matters to discuss. The boy took a deep breath and then stared up into his uncle's grey eyes. "Uncle Al, what's a homunculus?"

Al's face paled upon hearing those words from his nephew. "Where did you hear that?"

"I heard you talking with Mom and Dad last night," Nick confessed, deciding that it would be in his best interest to tell his uncle the truth.

Al sighed in resignation. He was in no way prepared for this question but there was no way around it. He had to tell the boy what he and Ed had been discussing. He hadn't planned on divulging the truth but the boy had asked and he had a right to know. "Let's take a walk Nicholas."

Nick nodded and followed his uncle out of the yard. Al led his nephew to the meadow where they'd met the day before and once they were there he sat down on the soft grass. Nick followed his uncle's example, sitting down on the grass beside Al and drawing his knees up under his chin and wrapping his arms around them in a protective manner. The boy gazed at his uncle expectantly. Maybe now he'd get some answers.

"A homunculus is a sort of living doll, created through the use of alchemy. It has a body resembling that of a human and a mind but it doesn't have a soul." Al paused at this point and took a deep breath, bracing himself and preparing for the blow that he was about to deal to his young nephew. "Homunculi are created when an alchemist fails a human transmutation."

Nick gasped, his mind flashing to the night he'd attempted to resurrect his sister and the vision of the thing he'd created. So that was why his family had been discussing him the night before. A shiver ran down Nick's spine as he thought about what must have happened the night he failed his human transmutation. "So I made one of those things. . .that night."

Al nodded, his heart breaking as he gazed at the pained expression on Nick's face.

Suddenly angry, Nick glared at his uncle. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?"

Al stared at the ground, a guilty expression in his gray eyes. "Your parents were just trying to shelter you from further pain. What they did they did out of love."

Nick stared at the horizon, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Nick. . .are you okay?"

After a moment Nick nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks for telling me the truth Uncle Al."

Al nodded. "We should probably head back. The others are probably wondering where we've gotten to. After all, we didn't even bother to tell them that we were leaving."

"Alright," Nick said.

Al and Nick both stood up and the two of them walked back to the house. When the two of them entered the house, it was completely dark. None of the lights were on.

"What the hell?" Nick said, reaching to flip on the lights.

As the room was illuminated people suddenly sprang from behind furniture.

**"SURPRISE!!"**

Startled by the sudden appearance of his family, Nick jumped back. The boy gazed around the room, which was festively decorated, and suddenly realized that it was his eleventh birthday.

Aiya ran over to Nick and threw her arms around him. "Happy Birthday Brother."

Nick hugged his little sister. "Thanks Aiya.")

"Two days later I left home for Central." Nick said in a quiet voice, still haunted by the memories of that day. "That's when I met Col. Havoc and joined the State Military, which was the second biggest mistake of my life. But it was a necessary evil, since I had vowed that I would track down the homunculus that I had created and destroy it."

"You made that promise to yourself the day your uncle told you about the homunculi, didn't you?"

Nick nodded.

"And that's why you can't quit the military and go home. I understand now."

Saying nothing Nick stood up.

Inwardly Kaori smiled. She'd known that Nick would soon grow tired of sitting under the shade trees what with him being such a restless soul. He'd already remained dormant for longer than usual and Kaori was surprised that he hadn't grown restless before know.

"So you weren't able to uncover any leads on Hunter huh?"

Until this point Kaori had avoided that particular topic of conversation for fear of what Nick's reaction would be.

Nick shook his head, surprising Kaori with his calmness. "Not that I really expected to. I knew it was a long shot before I went but I had to know for sure."

While the two kids talked they wandered further and further away from the park where their earlier conversation had taken place.

"Hey Nick, where exactly are we going?"

"No clue," Nick replied honestly. He had no set destination in mind however he felt the need to walk and couldn't fight the urge.

"Oh," Kaori said. "Okay. Just thought I'd ask."

The two walked on in silence for a few minutes before Nick stopped suddenly. Not expecting Nick's sudden halt, Kaori walked into him.

"Umph. Could you give me a little warning next time?"

"Shhh!"

Kaori immediately ceased her complaining and stared in the direction Nick was focused on. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure," Nick said. "Something moved over in that alley but I'm not exactly sure what it was. Stay here while I go and check it out."

Kaori opened her mouth, about to tell him that she didn't need the protection of a pint-sized alchemist, but quickly thought better of the idea. That would surely set him off and his rants would most likely scare off whatever was hiding in the alley.

_"I'll jump on him about that later," _Kaori mentally decided.

Nick slowly walked over to the alley and carefully moved aside the cardboard box that he'd seen move earlier.

As the cardboard was moved aside Kaori watched as a streak of silver leapt from the darkness. "Nick watch out!"

Nick screamed as he was suddenly knocked off his feet. The boy fell to the ground, the breath knocked from his body, however he was jarred back to his senses by the feeling of something wet on his face.

"What the hell?" Nick slowly opened his eyes and came face to face with a dog.

Growling low in his throat, which made the dog cock its head to one side and give him a quizzical look, Nick rose up and pushed the dog off his chest. He looked over his shoulder and glared at Kaori, who was laughing hysterically behind him.

"Careful Nick," the girl said between giggles. "He might eat you."

"Oh shut up," Nick snapped, glaring at her through narrowed eyes. "You were just as freaked out by that as I was."

Refusing to comment about the accusation, Kaori focused her attention on the dog. She stared at the skinny creature that sat next to Nick. The dog was a silvery gray color, with a darker gray muzzle, and he had one prick ear and one that only stood up half way. The dog's coat was very thick and he had one blue eye and one brown one. Kaori knew that the dog would be very beautiful if only he weren't so deplorably skinny. "I wonder why he's out here all alone."

Nick shrugged as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Someone must have abandoned him. He doesn't have a collar or tags and he looks like he hasn't had a decent meal in quite some time."

As though to confirm Nick's suspicion the dog placed its head against the boy's leg, gazed up at him and whined.

"Aw, the poor thing," Kaori said, gazing at the dog with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Nick let's take him with us."

"You're kidding, right? Your dad will go ballistic if we show up on base with that thing in tow."

"Come on Nick," Kaori said, a pleading look in her eyes. "Just look at those eyes. (Nick wasn't sure which eyes she meant. Hers or the dog's. Although it didn't really matter. Either way it was bad.) He's all alone and he's hungry. How can you say no after looking into those sad eyes?"

Nick sighed, knowing that he was defeated. "Come on then. I know when I'm beat."

And as though he understood Nick's words the dog stood up, gave a joyous bark, and began to follow Nick.

"I think you've made a friend," Kaori said as she joined them.

"Oh no," Nick said quickly, shaking his head. "Not me. He's all yours and you're going to be the one explaining to Mustang why we just had to bring him back with us."

"Fine. If you're too scared to face Dad over a little puppy then I guess I will."

"Damn right you will."

Kaori rolled her eyes but chose not to further pursue the argument. Nick was in one of those moods and she knew that if she didn't end it now the argument could go on indefinitely. That wasn't a prospect that she liked so she chose to be the mature one.

Nick led the way back to Central HQ, followed closely by the dog and Kaori. _"I can't believe I let her talk me into this. I must be out of my mind. Mustang's gonna flip."_

And with that to look forward to, Nick's pace slowed somewhat.

As their pace slowed the gray puppy whined and gazed up at Nick.

"Okay, okay I'm going. Man, even the dog."

About fifteen minutes later the trio arrived at Central HQ. Nick led the way over to the entrance, where the group was abruptly joined by Mustang.

Mustang stared down at the dog and then gave Nick 'the look'. Not that Nick wasn't used to eliciting that expression from his superior. "Fullmetal, what is this?"

"It's a dog sir." Nick knew better but he simply couldn't resist the sarcasm. "Carnivorous canine mammal. . ."

"Enough Fullmetal," Mustang said sharply. "Why have you brought this dog to HQ?"

Kaori made a move to answer her dad's question but, to her great surprise, Nick beat her to it.

"We found the dog abandoned in an alley," Nick told Mustang, a look of defiance in his golden eyes. "And we couldn't just leave him there to starve to death, or worse."

Mustang closed his eyes, as though suppressing a large amount of anger, but suddenly the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. "I see. Well, take the dog inside and get it something to eat."

Nick's jaw dropped. None of his mental images of this meeting with Mustang had been remotely close to what actually happened. 'Take the dog inside and feed it' had been the one order that Nick hadn't expected. 'Take the dog back where you found it' had been more along the lines of what Nick had expected to hear but even that was a toned down version.

Kaori's expression perfectly matched that of Nick and she had even more to be surprised about than he did. After all his earlier rants, when it had come down to it, Nick had actually stood up for the dog. That, in its self was a small miracle and her dad's reaction was even more surprising. She couldn't believe he was just going to allow the dog to stay, without an argument or anything.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Mustang smirked. "I know better than to argue about the dog. If I told you to take it back then word would reach your mother and then there would be hell to pay. So it's just easier for me to go ahead and tell you that you can keep the dog because, in reality no matter what I say you'll end up keeping it. The only thing debatable about this scenario is what kind of shape I'll be in at the end of this. I only have two options: I can give you permission to keep the dog and stay out of trouble or I can deny you and piss off your mother, who will then overrule me and let you keep it anyway. So I gotta tell you, given the two choices it's no contest."

"I see," Kaori said.

Having heard enough, Nick gazed down at the dog. "Come on Kemuri. Let's go and get you something to eat." And with that Nick entered HQ, with the dog close at his heels.

Kaori hung back and flung her arms around her dad. "Thanks Dad. You're the greatest."

Mustang smiled as Kaori released him and ran to join Nick and the dog.

The group walked to the cafeteria, where Nick searched the selection for something that the dog might like. Then, deciding that the dog was so malnourished that it more than likely wouldn't care what he gave it, he grabbed a variety of things and then headed back to where Kaori and the dog were waiting.

"Here you go Kemuri," Nick said, placing the food down on the floor for the dog. "Enjoy."

The dog barked happily and quickly began to devour the food. It took only minutes for the dog to finish the food.

Nick bent down and ruffled the dog's ears. "Was it good? For that matter did you even taste it?"

The dog whined and rubbed his head against Nick's leg.

"And I reiterate, I think you've made a friend for life," Kaori said with a smile.

Nick smiled. "Well I reiterate, you'd better start bonding with him because I travel a lot and I couldn't take him with me even if I wanted to, which I don't. So he's all yours."

Kaori grinned. "I think he might object to that."

"Tough. He'll just have to deal with it."

Nick stood up. "Come on boy. We'll go out into the courtyard and acquaint you with your new owner."

The dog barked and wagged his tail furiously.

Kaori was the last to rise and once she was on her feet she and the dog followed Nick out to the courtyard behind Central HQ. Once out there Nick knelt down in front of the gray puppy.

"Alright. Sorry pal, but even if I wanted to I couldn't keep you."

The dog whimpered.

"Don't worry boy. I've found someone even better to take care of you. Her name's Kaori and you'll be happier with her."

Kaori smiled and bent down to pat the dog on the head. The dog whined and rubbed his head against Kaori's hand.

"See Kemuri, what'd I tell you? I knew you'd like her."

At the sound of the boy's voice, the puppy pranced back over to him and sat down at his side. The puppy gazed up at Nick and barked at him.

"But not as much as he likes you."

"Don't worry. You'll grow on him. It'll just take some time."

"Hmm," Kaori said.

"You sound doubtful. You and him just need to bond a little bit and I have an idea that might help."

Nick clasped his hands together and used his alchemical powers to transmute a ball. The boy then picked up the ball and tossed it to Kaori.

Kaori caught the ball. She gazed down at the ball and then glanced over at Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Toss the ball to the dog."

Kaori growled low in her throat and then tossed the ball across the courtyard.

The dog barked happily and tore off after the ball. The dog raced across the courtyard, grabbed the ball off the ground, and returned to the spot where the two kids were waiting.

The puppy attempted to give the ball to Nick, much to Kaori's dismay.

"See? He doesn't like me."

"He likes you just fine." Nick ignored the dog's attempts to give him the ball and eventually the dog gave up and took the ball to Kaori.

Kaori took the ball and tossed it again.

The dog once again tore off after the ball and this time, when he returned with the ball in his mouth, he went straight to Kaori.

"Good boy." Kaori patted the dog on the head.

"So what are you gonna call him Kaori?"

"What are you talking about? You've already named him. His name's Kemuri." The name meant smoke and Kaori thought that it somehow suited the little gray puppy.

"You can't be serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," Kaori said, determined to keep the connection that Nick had to the dog. "I happen to like Kemuri as a name. It's simple and it suits him."

"Have it your way," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, have fun with your dog. I've gotta go."

Kaori again tossed the ball and when Inu ran off to retrieve it, she threw her arms around Nick. "Thank you so much Nick."

"What's up with this?" Nick asked.

Kaori released her grip on Nick and smiled at him. "You stood up for the dog and that made me happy."

Nick shrugged. "It was no big deal."

Kaori thought that it was a really big deal, given Nick's personality, yet she just smiled at the boy as he walked away. Someday she'd tell Nick exactly how big a deal it really was, but not today.

A/N - and there's chapter thirteen and Kaori made a new friend. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	14. Military Brat

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Fourteen - Military Brat**

Fuhrer Mustang was sitting in his office, doing paperwork, when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Mustang called out.

The door opened and one of the military's highest ranking generals entered the room. The general stopped a few feet from the Fuhrer's desk and raised his hand in salute. There was a concerned expression on the general's face that shone through the stiff formality of his actions.

"General Narita," Mustang said, placing his pen down upon the stack of papers on his desk. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I have a problem Fuhrer Mustang sir," General Narita said.

Mustang gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. Then, once the general was seated, Mustang gazed at him expectantly. "What kind of problem General?"

"My wife and son traveled East to visit her parents," General Narita explained. "They're supposed to come home tomorrow but this morning I received a frantic telegram from my wife. It seems there's been a series of kidnappings in the area in the last few days and each child that was taken came from a prestigious and wealthy family. And now Leah's afraid that Shira may be targeted because of my high rank in the State Military. She's afraid to come home."

"Hmm," Mustang said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I could assign an escort for your family but it would be more productive to catch the culprits behind the kidnappings. Where exactly are they General?"

"New Optain," General Narita said.

A smile spread quickly across Mustang's face. It was too good to be true and the head of the military found himself unable to believe his good fortune. "General Narita, how old is your son now?"

"He's nine," the General replied, not quite sure where the Fuhrer was going with this line of questioning.

"Hmm, a few years difference but with that kid it won't matter," Mustang said, more to himself than to the general. "Shira has blonde hair right?"

General Narita nodded, growing steadily more confused as the conversation progressed. He had no idea where his commanding officer was going with this line of questioning however he didn't want to be rude and just come out and ask about it.

Mustang couldn't believe his luck. "What about your wife: What does she look like?"

"Medium height, light brown hair and brown eyes," General Narita said.

"Easy enough to match," Mustang muttered to himself.

"Sir?"

Mustang leaned forward in his chair, a smile spreading across his face. "General I think I know how we can ensure the safety of your family and catch the kidnappers at the same time."

That made the general happy. "How sir?"

"We'll plant a decoy," Mustang said. "Your wife and son will remain in New Optain while the decoy and several undercover officers travel to Central in their place."

General Narita's face fell. He found it hard to believe that Fuhrer Mustang was actually suggesting that they place another child in danger in his son's place. "But sir we can't endanger some other child just to keep my son safe. I want Shira to be safe but not at that cost."

Mustang smirked. "Trust me, he won't be in any danger. In fact, on the off chance that the kidnappers do manage to get hold of him they'll regret it deeply I can assure you."

That statement aroused the general's curiosity. "Exactly who did you have in mind sir?'

"A boy who gives whole new meaning to the term 'army brat'," Mustang replied a smirk on his face.

* * *

It was early in the morning and Nick had just arrived at the military base in New Optain. He'd been going there every morning since his arrival in the eastern town. Col. Havoc, who'd been the one to send him on his mission out here in the first place, had been sending orders to the colonel in charge of the New Optain branch. And Col. Keller had, in turn been relaying the orders to Nick. So Nick had been checking in with him every morning in case Col. Havoc sent a message.

The guards knew Nick by this time so they no longer felt it necessary to check his I.D. They simply allowed him to pass freely now, without his having to show them his pocket watch.

"Good morning Mr. Elric," one of the guards said as Nick walked by.

Nick nodded in the man's direction as he walked by.

Nick entered the building and walked down the hall toward Col. Trent Keller's office. He knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back to await a response.

"Come in," Col. Keller called out.

Nick opened the door and entered the colonel's office. "Good morning colonel."

"Morning Nick," Col. Keller said. "No new orders this morning. Col. Havoc said to carry on the same as yesterday."

Nick nodded. "Thanks colonel."

Col. Keller nodded.

Nick bowed to the colonel and left the office. _"Guess it's back to my research."_

And with that Nick made his way to the small library housed in the New Optain Military Branch. The library wasn't nearly as impressive as the one in Central but it would do in a pinch. Nick selected a few books and then sat down at a small table.

Nick had been in the library for a few hours, deeply engrossed in his studies, when he heard the door open.

"Excuse me."

Nick turned around and saw a soldier standing in the doorway.

"Are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?" the soldier asked the boy.

Nick nodded.

"Col. Keller wants to see you in his office sir."

"O-kay," Nick said, standing up.

Nick made his way back to Col. Keller's office. He knocked on the door and then opened it. "You wanted to see me colonel?"

"Yes," Col. Keller said. "Pack your bags Fullmetal. You're heading back to Central in the morning."

"What?!" Nick exclaimed, his eyes narrowing in anger. He'd been sent her to do research and now he was being told that he had to leave before he had completed said research. That was enough to get his blood boiling. "I'm not finished with my research yet."

"Sorry kid but your mission will have to wait," Col. Keller said. "You've received orders from the Fuhrer himself."

"What the hell does he want now?!" Nick said impatiently, showing absolutely no respect for the leader of the military.

Nick heard a gasp issue from the corner of the room and he turned around quickly to find out who had made the noise. Sitting in a couple of chairs in the far corner of the room were a woman and a young boy, both of whom had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Nicholas," Col. Keller said, regaining Nick's attention. "This is Leah Narita and her son Shira."

Nick gazed at the woman, who appeared to be in her early forties and the boy who appeared to be around his own age. As he gazed at them he wondered who they were and why they were there. And what exactly this had to do with him.

"Mrs. Narita is the wife of General Narita," Col. Keller said. "I trust you've heard of him."

Nick nodded.

"Fullmetal," Col. Keller said. "There have been a rash of kidnappings in the Eastern Region and all of the victims have been from prestigious families."

At that moment there came a knock on the door. Col. Keller interrupted his explanation of the situation in order to call out, "Come in."

The door opened and a female soldier entered the room. Nick gazed at the woman and the first thing he noticed was how much the soldier resembled Mrs. Narita. _"Well that's freaky." _the young boy thought to himself as his gaze shifted back and forth between the two women.

"Welcome Sergeant Cass," Col. Keller said. He gestured toward an empty chair next to the spot where Nick stood and Sgt. Cass quickly sat down, following the colonel's unspoken order.

Col. Keller clasped his hands together. "Now that we're all here I can fully explain the situation."

Nick gazed expectantly at the colonel.

"As I said before there have been a rash of kidnappings, all victims having come from prestigious families, and Mrs. Narita fears that since her husband is a high ranking general her son may be targeted."

Col. Keller paused and focused his gaze on Nick and Sgt. Cass. "That's where the two of you come in."

"Oh hell," Nick said, gazing at the boy and his mom. He now saw where this conversation was going and he didn't like it the least little bit.

"Sgt. Cass, you will impersonate Mrs. Narita with Fullmetal fulfilling the role of your son."

"Damn you Mustang," Nick muttered angrily.

Sgt. Cass turned reproachful eyes on the boy. "Behave yourself son."

"Yes ma'am," Nick said sarcastically.

"Thank you so much for your help."

Nick turned and gazed at the woman, who's voice had been filled with relief. She'd obviously been really worried about her son's safety, he could tell by the look of extreme relief that he saw on her face. Nick waved his hand dismissively. "No problem."

Shira Narita slowly walked over to the spot where Nick stood. When Shira got close Nick saw that the boy was actually about an inch and a half taller than he was

"Are you really a State Alchemist?" Shira asked, his voice filled with awe.

Nick nodded.

"That's amazing!" Shira exclaimed his voice full of enthusiasm. "It's hard to believe you're only two years older than I am and you're already a State Alchemist. That is so cool!"

"What?!" Nick exclaimed. "You're **YOUNGER** than me?! That's not fair."

Col. Keller interrupted Nick's tirade. "Fullmetal you leave in the morning. Deal with it."

"Fine," Nick said, resigned to the fact that he would have to go on this mission, whether he wanted to or not.

"Col. Keller," Mrs. Narita said. "Do you really think that this will work? If my son really is a target do you think the kidnappers will mistake this boy for Shira?"

"We can test the likelihood of this missions success if it'll make you feel better," Col. Keller said. "Did you bring some of Shira's extra clothing?"

Mrs. Narita nodded, holding up a bag that had been sitting beside her chair.

"Nicholas," Col. Keller said, turning his attention back to the irritated looking young man. "Change into the clothes that Mrs. Narita brought and then come back here."

Nick shrugged and took the bag that Mrs. Narita offered him. Then he left the office.

Col. Keller stood up. "I'll be back shortly." And with that he too left the office.

About five minutes later Nick reentered the office, dressed in khaki pants and a white button up shirt. Nick walked back over to the spot where he'd been standing before and when he gazed around the room he noticed that Col. Keller was gone. "Where did the colonel go?"

"He didn't say," Sgt. Cass said. "But he did say that he'd be back shortly."

"Okay," Nick said.

"Fullmetal," Sgt. Cass said, standing up. She walked over to the young boy and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Turn around."

"Why?" Nick wanted to know.

"Just do it," Sgt. Cass said.

Too confused to put up his normal amount of protest, Nick turned around and once the boy had his back to her the sergeant grabbed his braid. Sgt. Cass unbraided the boy's hair, ran her fingers through it a couple of times, and then secured it in a low ponytail at the nape of the boy's neck. Then she tucked the hair down into the back of the boy's shirt.

"That's better," Sgt. Cass said.

"What did you do that for?" Nick wanted to know, squirming uncomfortably as the hair sticking down the back of his shirt immediately began to annoy him.

"Because no general's son would have hair as long as yours," Sgt. Cass told him. "It's a dead giveaway."

At that moment the door opened and Col. Keller walked back into the office. "Nick, Shira come with me. Mrs. Narita you may come as well. I've devised a little test and the results should tell us how likely it is that someone could mistake Nick for your son."

Col. Keller turned and walked back out of the office, followed by the two boys and Mrs. Narita. Col. Keller led the way down a hallway and then halted the group in front of a closed door.

The colonel opened the door and entered the room, followed by Nick, Shira and Mrs. Narita. The room was filled with soldiers and Col. Keller instructed the two boys to stand at the front of the room.

Nick and Shira stood at the front of the room with their backs against the wall.

"Okay guys," Col. Keller said, addressing the group of soldiers. "I have a question for you. One of these boys is General Narita's son Shira, the other is the Fullmetal Alchemist Nicholas Elric. My question to you is this: Which one is which? Now by a show of hands how many of you think the one on the left is the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Nick watched as one person raised their hand slowly. _"Damn you all," _the boy thought to himself.

"Okay," the colonel said. "It almost seems a stupid question at this point but how many of you think the one on the right is the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

The remainder of the soldiers raised their hands.

Nick actually growled at the soldiers.

"Okay," Col. Keller said. "Will the real Fullmetal Alchemist please step forward."

The two boys glanced at one another for a few seconds and then Nick took a step forward, glaring at the soldiers as he went.

"Nuh uh," one of the soldiers exclaimed as Nick stepped forward. "There's no way that little runt is the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

**"RUNT!!!" **Nick yelled. "Who the hell are you calling a **RUNT**?!" Nick pointed to Shira. "He's **ONLY** an **INCH** taller than me!"

"Nicholas!" Col. Keller said sternly. "Enough."

After a brief debate on his part as to whether or not to obey the command Nick dropped his hands, which were clenched into fists and took a deep breath.

The soldier who'd called Nick a runt breathed a sigh of relief and wiped a couple of beads of sweat from his forehead. "That was scary."

"Okay guys that's all I needed," Col. Keller said to the soldiers. "You're dismissed."

The soldiers all stood and saluted the colonel. Then they filed out of the room.

"I can't believe those people," Nick muttered as he watched the soldiers exit the room. "One soldier out of that large group of people guessed who I was. **ONE**!"

"Calm down Fullmetal," Col. Keller said. "There's no reason for you to get so worked up. I mean you're appearance is the perfect cover, you should be happy about it."

Nick growled at the colonel.

Col. Keller raised his hands in defeat. "Alright kid, have it your way."

Nick turned his back on the colonel and walked out of the room, and to his surprise he found himself being followed by Shira.

"Do you need something?" Nick asked the boy as he walked down the hall with the other boy close on his heels.

"Not really," Shira said.

"Then why are you following me?" Nick wanted to know.

Shira gazed at the ground. "My dad's a general so the only people we have regular contact with are his military friends who are all a bunch of old guys. It's rare that I have someone around my own age to talk to."

Nick stopped and turned around to face the other boy. He knew what it was like to be completely alone but unlike Shira he didn't really mind it. He chose to be alone because he couldn't get anyone else hurt that way. But this other boy was obviously lonely.

Nick shrugged and began walking again but stopped after only a few steps when he realized that Shira was no longer following him. He turned back around to face Shira once more. "You coming or what?"

Shira smiled and ran to catch up with Nick.

The two boys spent that evening together, in the library. Nick had swiped some paper from Col. Keller's office and he used it to show Shira some basic alchemy.

Nick grabbed a pencil and drew a simple array on one of the pieces of paper. Then he placed his hands down upon the array. Shira watched as blue sparks erupted from the array and then a puff of smoke covered the piece of paper.

Shira gasped when the smoke cleared to reveal an ornate origami crane, sitting where the piece of paper had been moments before. "That's amazing!"

"That's nothing," Nick said.

"How did you do it?" Shira asked. "It's like magic."

"It's not magic or witch craft," Nick said quickly, not wanting the young boy to get the wrong impression about alchemy. "Alchemy is a science: the science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down and reforming it into something else. In chemistry a reaction has to be balanced, so does alchemy. It's an equation: your output has to be of equal mass to the materials you started with. The base elements have to be similar too. And in order to gain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. You can't get without giving."

"That is so cool," Shira said. "But it's making my brain hurt. It's amazing that someone as young as you can actually understand it."

That comment made Nick pause. He'd never thought much about the complexity of the science he'd learned at a young age and yet what Shira said was true. Alchemy was really complex, so complex in fact that many adults couldn't comprehend it and yet Nick, at age eleven was already an accomplished alchemist.

* * *

Early the next morning Nick, who'd spent the night at the base, dressed in the khaki pants and white button up shirt that he'd briefly worn the day before. Once dressed Nick started to leave the room where he'd slept but paused at the door. Remembering what Sgt. Cass had told him the day before Nick pulled his hair into a low ponytail and then tucked it into the back of his shirt.

_"This will bug the hell out of me all day long," _Nick thought to himself. _"But at least I look like I have short hair now."_

That taken care of Nick left the barracks and made his way to Col. Keller's office. When he reached the colonel's office Nick knocked on the door softly and then waited.

"Come in," a voice called out.

Nick opened the door and entered the office.

"Good morning Fullmetal," Col. Keller said as the boy walked across the room. "Are you ready for this kid?"

"Sure," Nick said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"You're not worried?" Col. Keller asked the boy. "Not even the tiniest little bit?"

"No," Nick said. "Is there some reason I should be? I mean there's not even any guarantee that something will happen so there's really nothing to worry about."

"And you wouldn't be worried even if we knew for a fact that something was going to happen would you?" Without waiting for a reply from the boy the colonel went on. "In fact I'd go so far as to say that you'd be more enthusiastic about this mission if something was definitely going to happen."

Nick grinned, not denying what the colonel said. "So when does the train for Central depart?"

"The train leaves at 1000 hours," Col. Keller said. "So we only have a short time to plan our strategy."

"Strategy?" Nick said, confused.

"Yes Fullmetal," Col. Keller said patiently. "We have to be prepared just in case the kidnappers do try something."

"If they try something I thought I'd just beat the crap out of them until they surrendered," Nick said with a smirk. "That's my strategy."

Col. Keller placed a hand to his forehead, as though he had a headache. "Col. Havoc warned me that you were like that. Think Fullmetal, do you honestly think you could take on a large group of armed men by yourself?"

"Yes," Nick replied without hesitation.

"Cocky aren't you?" Col. Keller asked.

"Perhaps," Nick said with a small shrug. "But the fact remains that I'm a highly trained State Alchemist. And trust me, they don't call us 'human weapons' for nothing."

Col. Keller stared in awe at the young boy who stood in front of him. It was hard to believe that the kid was only eleven years old. He had a maturity that far outreached his years.

"Okay," Col. Keller said. "Even assuming you could take them on your own I'd still feel better if we had a contingency plan."

"Fine then," Nick said with a shrug. "Go ahead and plan out your contingency plan but I'm telling you now that you won't need it."

Col. Keller shook his head as he stared at the confident look on the boy's face. The boy was definitely cocky but if half the stories told about him were true he had a right to be.

At 9:15 that morning Sgt. Cass and Nick left the New Optain Military Base and walked the short distance to the train station. They would be followed later by a group of undercover soldiers but the two of them had to leave HQ by themselves or risk blowing their cover.

"This really sucks," Nick moaned as he and Sgt. Cass walked.

"Deal with it son," Sgt. Cass said, gazing down at the boy. "I'm not any happier than you are about this situation but you don't hear me complaining incessantly about it."

Nick gazed up at the woman. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Sgt. Cass gazed at Nick, a stunned expression on her face. It was obvious from her expression that Nick's apology had been the last thing she'd expected to hear. _"That was weird," _she thought to herself.

It was only 9:30 when the two reached the train station so they found seats on an empty bench. They didn't speak of their mission, in case someone was listening but Nick kept his eyes peeled for anyone acting suspicious.

And before long he spotted a couple of men who immediately struck him as odd. The two men were dressed normal enough but they seemed to be keeping an eye on Nick and Sgt. Cass and they were going out of their way to keep someone between them at all times.

_"What the hell?' _Nick thought, watching the two men. _"They'd blend in better if they stopped trying to blend in. In their attempts not to be conspicuous they're making themselves stand out even more. Stupid."_

Nick glanced over at Sgt. Cass to see whether or not she'd seen the two men but she was looking the other way, oblivious to what Nick had been watching for the past few minutes.

_"Oh well," _Nick thought to himself. _"Guess she'll find out later."_

Deciding that the two men weren't really worth his attention Nick looked away and that's when he saw a couple of familiar men striding toward the bench where he and Sgt. Cass were sitting. The two men were soldiers from the New Optain Branch and they were heading straight for them.

_"What are those morons doing?"_ Nick thought to himself. _"If they blow my cover so help me. . ."_

The boy shot the two men a nasty look and they suddenly halted their approach. Then seeming to realize the stupidity of their actions the two men walked off in a different direction.

"_Morons_," Nick thought to himself.

Having averted that crisis Nick gazed around the station searching for the two men that he'd spotted earlier. But the strangers were nowhere to be seen. _"Now where did those guys go?"_

"Attention ladies and gentlemen," a voice called out. "The ten o'clock train to Central is now boarding on Platform 3."

"Come on Shira," Sgt. Cass said standing up. "That's our train."

"Coming Mom."

Nick jumped to his feet and followed Sgt. Cass toward the train. As he went, he gazed around for the two strange men from before but they were still nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm," Nick thought as he boarded the train. "Maybe those guys weren't the kidnappers after all."

Sgt. Cass showed their tickets to the conductor, who quickly bowed to them. "Right this way ma'am. We have a compartment reserved in the front of the train."

"Thank you," Sgt. Cass said quietly.

The conductor led them to the front car, where he showed them an empty compartment. The conductor opened the door of the compartment and touched his cap. "Enjoy your trip ma'am."

Sgt. Cass nodded politely to the man as she and Nick entered the compartment.

Once they were inside the car, with the door securely closed, Nick threw himself down on the seat.

Sgt. Cass sat down across from the boy, sitting prim and proper like any general's wife. "You behaved yourself very well son. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Nick said. "So now what?"

"Now," Sgt. Cass said. "we wait."

The train ride was incredibly boring, as they always were, but time passed quickly enough and as the distance between the train and Central lessened Nick began to wonder whether there would be any problems.

When he'd seen the two strange men in the station Nick had been sure that his mission would have some excitement but now he wasn't so sure. They were now more than halfway into their trip to Central and the train ride had thus far been uneventful.

_"Maybe I was wrong,"_ Nick thought to himself.

That thought completely depressed and utterly annoyed the boy. He would be seriously pissed off if his research had been interrupted for nothing and he would have a few choice words for the Fuhrer if that turned out to be the case.

Sgt. Cass was quietly reading a book and Nick was dozing in his chair when the door of their compartment was suddenly thrust open and one of the men from the station stepped inside.

Nick jerked awake when the man entered the compartment but held himself in check. It wasn't time to blow his cover just yet. He needed more information about who and what he was dealing with before he revealed his true identity.

"Can I help you sir?" Sgt. Cass asked.

The man pulled a gun from his coat and pointed it at Nick. "You're coming with me little man."

Nick clenched his teeth and let the remark slide. But it took every ounce of self control that he possessed. _"Little man? That guy has some nerve."_

The man strode over to Nick and grabbed the boy by the arm. "Are you deaf boy? I said you're coming with me!"

Nick was forced to stand up or else risk having his arm pulled out of socket and as he did so he silently counted his blessings that the man had grabbed his left arm and not his right. The auto-mail might have made the man suspicious.

Sgt. Cass jumped to her feet as the man pulled Nick toward the door.

The man whirled on her and stuck the barrel of the gun in her face. "If I were you I'd sit back down and be quiet. If you don't your son will suffer for it and you wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"It's okay Mom," Nick said in a soft voice. "I'll be fine."

Sgt. Cass nodded and sat back down in her seat.

"Good boy. You may have just saved your life, not to mention your mother's," the man said. Then he turned back to the woman. "Tell your husband the general that if he wants his son back safe and sound and in one piece the ransom is two hundred thousand sens. We'll send instructions for how to deliver it later."

With that the man placed the tip of the gun in the small of Nick's back and shoved him toward the door. Nick allowed the man to guide him out of the compartment, biding his time until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

The man guided the boy to the back car of the train, which was empty of people save for one. The second man from the train station was waiting for them there.

"Good, you got the boy," the second man said. "Any trouble?"

"No Gray," the first man said. "It was almost too easy."

"Okay Troy, well done," Gray said. "Now that we have our target we have to get off the train before the boy's mom notifies someone of his abduction."

"Right," Troy said, opening the door at the back of the car.

The train was zipping through the open countryside by this time and the two men guided Nick over to the door.

"We're right on schedule," Gray said, scanning the terrain.

Nick's bangs were being blown into his face by the wind and his eyes widened when he realized what their intentions were. "We're gonna jump?"

"That's right kiddo," Troy said. "Hope you're athletic."

At this point Nick decided that he had enough information to proceed with step two of the master plan. He had determined by this time that there were only two kidnappers involved in the abductions, so it was time to act.

The two men were standing on either side of Nick and the boy pulled his arms free from their grips and did a back flip. Nick landed a few feet back, thinking as he went, _"I thought I was a decoy, not a stunt double."_

After a surprised pause the two men pulled their guns and pointed them at the boy.

"Not a smart move kid," Gray said angrily.

"Oh that was nothing compared to the stupid move you guys made earlier," Nick said.

Nick ran toward the men, clasping his hands together as he went. Then he grabbed the barrels of both guns, pulled them together and fused them using the power of alchemy.

"An alchemist?" the two men mouthed as one, staring down at the warped piece of metal that had once been their guns. Simultaneously the two men released their grips on the gun, allowing the twisted lump of metal to fall to the ground, and ran toward Nick.

"Oh yea!" Nick exclaimed, clasping his hands together once again. "Now things get interesting."

Nick placed his hands on one of the seats and then grabbed the spear that arose from the spray of blue sparks. Nick pointed the spear at the two men, a smirk on his face. "Come on guys, what's taking you so long? You're not scared of a kid now are you?"

That statement angered the two men and they rushed the boy, which is exactly what he wanted them to do.

"Well that worked better than I thought it would," Nick said as the two men ran toward him.

Nick stuck the spear point into the floorboards and, using it for balance, swung around and kicked Gray in the head. The man dropped to the ground. Nick landed back on his feet in the exact spot where he'd started out and stared down at the unconscious man. "Damn, is that all you've got? That was pathetic."

"You shouldn't be so cocky boy," Troy snarled, glaring at Nick. "You've still gotta deal with me."

Nick smirked and held up his thumb and first two fingers. "I give you three minutes tops."

Troy clenched his fists and snarled, "You arrogant little brat."

Tick marks appear on Nick's forehead and he dropped his spear and ran toward the man. "Little? **LITTLE**?! That's it**, YOU'RE DEAD**!"

Nick balled his hand and punched the man in the face. Troy moaned in pain and quickly joined his companion on the floor.

"Fullmetal sir!"

Nick turned as several soldiers in civilian attire burst into the car, their guns drawn.

Nick sighed and shook his head. "And the cavalry has arrived. Just after the nick of time I believe."

The soldiers surveyed the scene and then lowered their weapons.

"So much for the colonel's contingency plan," Nick thought with a smirk as the soldiers took the would-be kidnappers into custody.

Sgt. Cass walked over to Nick and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Good work, Fullmetal sir."

"Sir?" Nick repeated in surprise, staring at the sergeant. Even though he technically outranked her she had not once since they'd met called him sir. "Now you start calling me sir? What's up with that?"

"To be quite honest sir when I first met you I had my doubts about your abilities and whether or not you were really good enough to be a State Alchemist. But after seeing what you did to these guys all my doubts are gone."

"Wow, you're really blunt sergeant," Nick said.

For a moment Sgt. Cass looked worried, like maybe she'd said something she shouldn't have. The boy did outrank her after all and could easily get her into a whole lot of trouble.

"Respect is earned. You don't just automatically get it because of rank or age," Nick said in a quiet voice. "Don't worry sergeant I agree with you completely. And I respect the fact that you had the guts to say it even though I'm three ranks above you."

Sgt. Cass smiled. "You have earned my respect Fullmetal."

Nick nodded his head in acknowledgement of her compliment and stretched out his arms. "Well our job's done. We may as well return to our luxury car and finish out the trip in style." And with that Nick waved to the other soldiers. "See you in Central."

* * *

A few hours after the kidnappers made their move the train arrived at the station in Central.

"Well that was fun-filled beyond belief," Nick said as he stood up and stretched.

Nick and Sgt. Cass left their compartment and met up with the soldiers who'd been guarding the kidnappers. Then the group departed the train together, with Nick leading the way.

When Nick stepped off the train he immediately saw Fuhrer Mustang and some unknown officer standing on the platform. Fuhrer Mustang's eyes focused on Nick and the boy led his group over.

All of the soldiers saluted their leader but Nick just stared at the man, a look of contempt in his golden eyes.

"At ease," Fuhrer Mustang said to the soldiers who were showing their respect. "I take it from the two men in chains and Fullmetal's foul mood that your mission was a success."

"Yes sir," Sgt. Cass said.

"Good job," Fuhrer Mustang said. "Escort the prisoners to State Prison Number 1. Then come to Central HQ."

The soldiers all saluted again and then walked off to carry out their orders.

"And you," Fuhrer Mustang said, gazing down at Nick. "Stop looking at me like that."

"I'll look at you any way I want," Nick growled.

"That's my little insubordinate," Fuhrer Mustang said with a smirk. The Fuhrer turned to the officer who was staring at Nick in open mouthed amazement. "Gen. Narita meet Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal this is Gen. Jien Narita, Shira's father."

Nick's gaze moved to the general.

"You may resemble my son in appearance but your attitude is nothing like Shira's."

Nick reached behind his back and pulled his ponytail out of his collar, which was a relief because it had been bugging the hell out of him all day long. "You know, we don't even look that much alike and as for Shira's attitude, I gave him a few pointers on that while we were at the base together."

A worried expression appeared on the general's face.

"Don't listen to him Gen. Narita," Fuhrer Mustang said calmly. "Fullmetal has a general disdain for authority but he really is a good kid deep down inside." Nick growled low in his throat at that comment and Fuhrer Mustang hastened to add, "Really deep down."

"Why do you put up with this boy's blatant insubordination sir?" Gen. Narita asked.

"Because Fullmetal is a valuable State Alchemist," Fuhrer Mustang replied, omitting the part about multiple persons kicking his ass if he didn't put up with it. The general didn't need to know that particular detail.

"Well," Nick said with a wave of his hand. "I've had enough of your company. I'm outta here."

And with that Nick walked away.

Fuhrer Mustang and Gen. Narita both watched as the boy walked away and the general turned to the Fuhrer. "Are you just going to let him go sir?"

Fuhrer Mustang nodded. "Yes. It's just easier that way."

"Hmm," the general said.

"You should go and send a telegram to Leah," Fuhrer Mustang said. "Now that the kidnappers are in custody it is safe for them to return to Central."

Gen. Narita saluted. "Thank you sir."

Fuhrer Mustang nodded and the general walked off to send a telegram to his family. Leah would be extremely happy to know that she could now safely travel back to Central City without fearing for the safety of her son.

A/N - and there's chapter fourteen. Hope you enjoyed.


	15. Alchemist Assessment

**Chapter Fifteen - Alchemist Assessment**

Nick had been a member of the State Military for a little over a year now and he was no closer to reaching his goal than he'd been the day he'd joined. And even though he was no closer to reaching his ultimate goal, a lot had happened in the course of a year and Nick had made at least one new friend. He and Kaori had gotten past their initial dislike of one another and had become friends. Kaori kept telling him that he should get out of the military and go home. And while Nick realized that since no one knew about the homunculus then it obviously wasn't causing any trouble and yet he knew that he couldn't allow it to live. Nick was determined to see this thing through to the end.

"I don't care how long I have to be on the end of the military's leash," Nick muttered, his fist clenched. "I will undo the damage I've done."

Nick was standing in front of the military headquarters in Central, contemplating what his next move would be, when he was approached by Colonel Havoc.

"Hey chief, what's up?"

"Not a thing," Nick said.

"Hmm," Havoc said thoughtfully. "Well, I just came by to tell you that your assessment will be tomorrow."

"Assessment?" Nick said, confused.

Havoc nodded. "All State Alchemists are subject to an assessment once a year. And you have to get a good assessment in order to keep your certification as a State Alchemist."

"Oh, that's just great," Nick whined. "So what exactly do I have to do for this assessment?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," Havoc said, inwardly enjoying the look of great discomfort on Nick's face. There was something about tormenting the kid that he simply couldn't resist. "Until then, don't worry about it."

And with that, Havoc walked away.

"Don't worry about it he says," Nick muttered under his breath, pulling his silver watch from his pocket and absentmindedly playing with it. "I have to do good in order to keep my certification and I have to have my certification in order to reach my goal. This really sucks."

* * *

That night Nick found himself completely unable to fall asleep. Every time he managed to doze off, he pictured himself doing horrible on the assessment and then he was wide-awake again. And the process of going to sleep, having a nightmare, and then waking up again was beginning to seriously annoy the young boy.

"I'm going to do horrible and get kicked out of the military," Nick mumbled, sitting up in bed and tossing his blankets aside in frustration. "Then I'll have to go home to Resembool and endure the taunts from my dad."

Giving up all hope of getting a good night's sleep, Nick got out of bed and got dressed. Then he slipped out of his room and downstairs. Feeling his way through the dark house, the boy made his way over to the front door and, once there, he pulled on his boots and left the house.

"Maybe a walk will clear my head," Nick said hopefully.

Nick spent the next several hours walking through Central, trying to get his mind off his coming assessment however all he accomplished was making himself miserable. The walk did nothing to get Nick's mind off his assessment, quite the contrary; it actually gave him more time to dwell on it.

The boy went back to the Hughes' house around dawn and when he opened the door, he came face to face with General Hughes.

"Where have you been?" Hughes asked, a questioning expression in his eyes.

"I needed some fresh air," Nick told him. "So I went for a walk."

Hughes stared at the boy. "And exactly how long was this walk? You look terrible."

"Thanks a lot," Nick said, once again marveling at the General's bluntness.

Hughes smiled at the boy, a knowing look in his eyes. "You could probably still get a few hours of sleep before your assessment if you went to bed now."

Nick shook his head. "There'd be no point. Even if I wanted to sleep there's no way I'd be able to so I may as well stay up."

"Have it your way," Hughes said, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll leave for Central HQ in a few hours so don't wander off to far. The Fuhrer gave me strict orders to make sure you didn't skip out on your assessment."

Nick nodded and walked upstairs. He entered the room that had been his home for the past year and sat down on the edge of the bed. Gripping his head in his hands the young boy allowed his thoughts to wander. "This is just great. I wish I could just get this over with before the waiting drives me crazy."

* * *

A few hours later Nick and Hughes left for Central HQ and when they arrived, they went immediately to the Fuhrer's office. Not even bothering to knock, Hughes entered the office, followed a few steps back by Nick.

"I brought the kid," Hughes called out as he and Nick stepped through the door of Mustang's office. Once inside he immediately noticed someone sitting in the chair in front of the Fuhrer's desk. Someone he hadn't seen in years. "Why hello Edward. I didn't expect to see you here." He turned to the Fuhrer. "Did you know he was coming?"

The Fuhrer shook his head. "No. He just showed up here this morning, without warning. However, he has solved a problem for me. Up until this morning I had no idea how to test the kid's abilities but when Ed arrived I decided that we could have a battle assessment."

"You mean Ed versus the kid?" Hughes asked in surprise.

The Fuhrer nodded.

"Oh, that's cold." Hughes gave the boy a sympathetic look.

Nick stood in front of the door, listening in horror to the conversation between Hughes and the Fuhrer. He didn't like where this conversation was going and yet he could not find the words to protest.

"Let us head to the parade grounds," the Fuhrer said, standing up and walking in the direction of the door. "The assessment shall be given there."

Ed and Hughes both nodded and followed the Fuhrer toward the door.

"This is cruel," Nick muttered as he turned to follow the rest of the group out of the office.

The Fuhrer, Hughes and Ed walked out the door, down the hall and out into the bright sunshine followed a short distance behind by Nick, who had the distinct look of a condemned man on his way to the gallows. Once outside, at the parade grounds, Nick saw that a crowd had gathered which only served to make his feeling of dread intensify. He gazed around in awe, thinking that the whole military must have turned out for the battle assessment.

The Fuhrer took a seat on a raised platform, joined by Hughes and Havoc, while Ed and Nick took their places out on the parade ground. Father and son squared off against each other.

"Dad," Nick said, staring into his father's eyes. Eyes that were so like his own. "This isn't cool. You know there's still time for you to back out. You don't have to do this."

"Thanks for the offer," Ed said with an evil grin. "But it's been awhile since we've went at it and I think it'll be fun."

"Fun?!" Nick exclaimed incredulously. "How can you think being beaten to a pulp by your own son in front of the entire military is fun?"

Ed just smiled.

In the stands, Hughes turned to face Havoc. "The kid really doesn't have a clue, does he?"

"No," Havoc said, his eyes remaining focused on the battlefield. "But I think Ed's about to give him a few."

Hughes turned so that he was once again facing the parade ground. "I think that's an understatement."

Lieutenant Colonel Breda walked over and stood beside Ed and Nick. "Welcome to the State Alchemist battle assessment. This should be an interesting diversion. We have the current Fullmetal Alchemist, Nick Elric, facing off against. . ."

Sensing that Breda was about to say something stupid, Ed shot him a dirty look.

The look from Ed halted Breda in mid sentence and he quickly altered his introduction. "Facing off against Edward Elric."

Hughes turned to the Fuhrer. "Now Mustang, haven't you guys told him that Ed had that title before he did?"

The Fuhrer shook his head.

"That's not good. The kid's not gonna be happy when he finds out."

"Alchemists get set. Ready and fight."

And as soon as those words escaped his mouth, Breda turned tail and ran away from the parade ground as fast as his feet would carry him. He had memories of how Ed's fights were and he had no desire to be in the middle of one. He knew that in order to be truly safe he needed to be several yards away, safely hidden behind something. But since he wanted to watch the fight, he decided to settle for a spot in the stands, where the damage would be minimal.

Nick watched as Breda ran away, completely confused. "Huh?"

"What are you waiting for kid?" Ed said, clasping his hands together and placing them to the ground. Blue sparks shot up from the ground and a spear rose out of the dirt.

"How did you do that?!" Nick exclaimed, staring at the spear that his dad now held in his hand.

"You should worry more about countering." As he spoke, Ed ran toward his son.

Nick clasped his hands together and his auto-mail arm turned into a blade. "You want some, come and get some."

"As you wish," Ed said.

As Father and son battled, Nick quickly gained the upper hand. He managed to keep his father constantly on the defensive by a series of unrelenting attacks that forced his father to dodge or block and thus gave him no opportunity to retaliate.

Ed dodged blow after blow from his son, inwardly marveling at how much stronger the boy had become since the two of them had last had a sparring match.

Nick smirked. "So dad, have you had enough yet? Ready to surrender? I won't hurt you if you admit defeat."

Ed looked at the boy, an evil glint appearing in his eyes. "I hope you've thoroughly enjoyed your little rebellion kid, 'cause it's over now."

And with that, Ed took charge of the battle.

Ed and Nick stood, each holding a weapon to the other's throat, when they heard the sound of applause. They both looked around to see the Fuhrer standing up, clapping his hands. "Nice work Nicholas. It seems you'll be able to keep your State Alchemist certification for at least another year. And Edward, you did very well also. It seems you're not as weak as I thought you'd be after all these years of inactivity."

"That's it." Ed dropped his staff and pointed a finger at the Fuhrer. "You're next."

"Dad!" Nick exclaimed, all thoughts on finishing the battle vanishing. "You can't threaten the Fuhrer like that. And if you're going to, at least refrain from doing it in front of the entire military."

Ed glanced around at the assembly of military personnel and smirked. "They don't want any either."

"Now come on dad," Nick said, gazing from his dad to the military members. "Okay, so you've proven you're not a weakling but now you're just pushing your luck."

"I don't think so," Ed said, his voice filled with confidence.

The Fuhrer took off his uniform jacket, threw it down over his chair and stepped down from the platform where he'd watched the fight between Nick and Ed. He walked toward Ed, pulling on a pair of gloves as he went, and then came to a stop a few feet away from Ed.

Ed grinned. "Let's do it."

Nick stared in open-mouthed horror as his dad squared off against the Fuhrer. "You've gotta be kidding me!! He's really gonna fight the Fuhrer." He turned and ran over to the spot where his mom stood with Hawkeye. "Why are you just standing there?! Don't you think you should stop him?"

Winry shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

Stunned, Nick turned to Hawkeye. "Aren't **YOU** gonna stop him?"

"No, it'll be good for them."

Winry turned to Hawkeye and nodded her head in agreement. "You're right. They need to let off some steam."

Nick suddenly developed a nervous tick. The corner of his eye began to twitch uncontrollably as he stared from his mom and Hawkeye to his dad and the Fuhrer. "Everyone's gone insane."

Havoc and Hughes stood on the platform staring down at the Fuhrer and Ed.

"So," Hughes said. "How long has it been since either of them used alchemy in a fight?"

"I don't know." Havoc thought about the question. "A while."

"So who do you think's gonna win?"

"No idea sir," Havoc said. "But it should be interesting."

Hughes nodded. "Of that I have no doubt."

As they watched the battle that was raging in front of them, both Havoc and Hughes marveled at the fact that although neither man had used their alchemy in battle for several years they were both still as good, if not better, than they had been before.

Col. Havoc shook his head in dismay. "Well that renews my fear of the Fuhrer. Just when I was starting to get over it too."

Gen. Hughes smiled at the comment but didn't reply. He knew that Havoc had made the comment jokingly. He was not now nor had he ever been afraid of Mustang. In fact the two men were actually good friends but that didn't mean that Havoc didn't have a healthy respect for his superior.

Mustang and Ed fought for a while, each using moves that no one in the military had ever seen, and then they abruptly stopped. Neither of the men had an advantage over the other, it was almost as if they'd sent each of a telepathic message and agreed to stop. The two men stood staring at one another for a few brief moments and then Mustang smiled. "You've gotten better over the years Ed."

Ed returned the smile. "I would never have guessed it but so have you."

Breda stood up. "Way to go Fullmetal! I can't believe you held your own against the Fuhrer."

Nick stared at the military men, as Breda's words sank in. "Fullmetal? Then that means. . .my dad's the original Fullmetal Alchemist?" Tick marks suddenly appeared on the boy's forehead. "My dad's the Fullmetal Alchemist and no one told me! I'll kill them all!"

Mustang walked over to the spot where Nick stood, looking as though he were about to have a nervous breakdown. "Alright kid. Since this is all your fault, you get to clean up the mess."

Nick's jaw dropped. He stared at the demolished parade grounds and then whirled on the Fuhrer. "My fault? How can you say it's my fault? You and my dad are the ones who did most of the damage!"

Mustang glared at the boy. "You have your orders Fullmetal."

Nick debated protesting further but decided he should leave well enough alone. They were, after all, still alive and apparently not going to prison. He decided that having to clean up the mess was a relatively small price to pay.

"Equivalent exchange," he muttered to himself bitterly as he turned and began to walk toward the torn up battlefield. "Dad was wrong. This isn't punishment. This is hell."

As Nick began the task of cleaning up the gigantic mess made by the two battles, mainly the one between his dad and the Fuhrer, the military personnel that had been watching the fights went back inside.

Mustang, Hughes, Breda and Havoc all stood in a third floor window and watched the kid work.

"Don't you think that was kind of harsh?" Hughes asked Mustang.

"Not really," Mustang replied in a bored voice.

Ed was standing with his back to the window, a thoughtful expression on his face. "So tell me Mustang. Why did you give Nicholas my old title?"

"It suits him," Mustang replied, his gaze never leaving the young boy that he and Ed were discussing. "I never agreed with Fuhrer Bradley's decision to call you the Fullmetal Alchemist. After witnessing your practical skills exam, I thought for sure you'd end up with the title of the Floral Alchemist or something along those lines."

"You're evil," Ed said, his eyes narrowed.

"Edward," Mustang said, surprise evident in his voice. "You're upset that I gave Nicholas your old title, aren't you?" An evil glint appeared in Mustang's eye. "You're jealous."

Ed shook his head. "It's nothing like that. I gave up the military and that title of my own volition and I feel no jealousy toward Nick. I was just curious why you gave him that particular title, that's all."

And with that Ed began to walk toward the door.

The other four men turned as Ed began to walk toward the door.

"Hey Ed," Hughes called out. "Where are you going?"

"I need to go and have a word with my son," Ed replied, looking over his shoulder and sending a piercing glare in Breda's direction. "Since someone, mentioning no names, said something he really shouldn't have."

Breda slumped over, in an attempt to become invisible and hopefully avoid Ed's fury.

"Come on Ed," Mustang said, trying to draw Ed's attention away from his subordinate. "He would have found out sooner or later anyway. There's no way you could have kept something like that a secret forever. I'm amazed you managed to hide it this long, since you were something of a legend in the military."

"You shut up!" Ed snapped, glaring at Mustang. "This is all **YOUR** fault in the first place."

Mustang smirked. "You shouldn't talk like that Edward. I am the Fuhrer after all."

"I don't give a damn who you are," Ed said opening the door. "You will eventually pay for this. I swear."

And with that, Ed walked out.

Hughes turned to Mustang. "Well that went better than I expected."

Mustang said nothing.

Ed walked out to the battlefield, where Nick was using alchemy to clean up the mess. Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted a large pile of debris back into a smooth walkway.

Nick ceased his reconstruction of the parade grounds and turned to face his father. There was a glint of accusation in his golden eyes as he stared at Ed. He had come to learn of so many things that his father should have told him but didn't during his short stint in the military, yet this was by far the worst. "How come you never told me your were in the military? Or that you were the original Fullmetal Alchemist? Not even when you found out that Mustang gave me that title."

"I left that life behind a long time ago," Ed replied, staring off into the distance.

"You still should have told me," Nick said stubbornly.

"I know," Ed said, surprising his son. "There are a lot of things I should have told you however I foolishly chose not to because I didn't want you to repeat my mistakes. And in the end, and only after it was too late, I realized that had I been willing to talk about my past I could have helped secure your future. A future free of the pain and suffering I had to endure."

Nick stared at his dad, surprised. He hadn't expected Ed to actually agree with him and he found himself unable to hide the stunned look on his face.

"Come on Nicholas," Ed said. "This will go a lot faster if we both do it."

Nick nodded.

Cleaning up the destruction caused by the two fights took far less time once Nick got help from his dad and the two alchemists soon had the parade grounds returned to their original form.

Having seen that the work was nearing completion, Mustang, Hughes, and Havoc left their lofty perch and they met Nick and Ed halfway across the lawn.

"Alright Fullmetal, you're dismissed. And I guess you've earned a break so you can take the next couple of days off."

Nick groaned; that seemed such a small reward for the hell that he'd just endured but at this point, he'd take what he could get. "Thanks," he said grudgingly.

"Nicholas," Ed said, capturing his son's attention. "You should go and find your mother. I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"Okay," Nick said. "Any clue where she is?"

It was Col. Havoc, not Ed, who answered the boy's question. "She and Riza were out in the courtyard last time I saw them."

Nick nodded. "Thanks colonel." And with that the boy dashed off.

Mustang yawned widely and pulled the uniform jacket that he'd been carrying back on. "Well that was fun and all but I guess I should get back to work."

Ed's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing that statement from the Fuhrer. "You work? Since when? I thought that's why you became Fuhrer so that you'd have peons to do all the work for you?"

Mustang smirked. "Hey it's not as easy as you make it sound."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Pitiful."

Mustang shook his head and walked off.

"Guess I should follow his example," Col. Havoc said, without much enthusiasm. "Or I'll be up for a demotion soon."

Ed grinned as Col. Havoc walked off in the direction Mustang had gone, leaving him and General Hughes alone. He turned to Hughes. "So Maes, are you gonna use work as an excuse to ditch me too?"

Hughes shook his head. "Hell no. I don't even feel like pretending to work. That would require entirely too much effort."

"I see," Ed said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well since we're alone there's something I've been wanting to ask you since I saw you in Mustang's office this morning."

Hughes gazed at Ed, a knowing look in his eyes. "It's about my 'death' isn't it?"

Ed nodded.

"Faking my own death wasn't something that I wanted to do," Hughes said in a serious tone. "Since I knew that in order to pull it off I wouldn't be able to tell anyone that I was alive, not even Gracia." At that point in the conversation Hughes shuddered. "On a side note Edward, I wouldn't advice hiding something like that from your wife. Ever. It's not a pretty picture when they find out."

Ed nodded. He could imagine. And he had a feeling that in his case it would be about ten times worse than it was for Hughes since Gracia was mild mannered, especially compared to Winry.

"But I'm getting off topic here. When I found out what was going on in the military and exactly how deeply the enemy had infiltrated, I knew that my family would be in danger if anyone found out the full extent of what I knew. Then my fears were realized when I was shot by that bastard Envy and left for dead. It was then that I knew what I had to do. I had to protect my family at any cost and there was no way to do that if I was alive. On top of that Roy wasn't getting anywhere with his investigation and I knew that he needed some, er motivation. And what better motivation than the death of his best friend. So I used the situation to my advantage and since I had several useful contacts in the military chain of command I was able to pull off faking my own death. And no one, not even the homunculus in charge of the entire State Military, was any the wiser."

Ed shook his head, slightly amazed by Hughes' cunning. "You always were the brains of the operation. So tell me, how exactly did Mustang become the Fuhrer? I mean, wouldn't you have been a better candidate for that position?"

"Possibly," Hughes said, slightly flattered by Ed's statement. "But I never had any aspirations for the top position. It involves too many decisions that I don't want, or am not willing, to make. Second in command suits me far better."

"I see your point Maes," Ed said with a chuckle. "You get nearly unrivaled power without the high level of accountability."

"Exactly," Hughes said with a smile. "So naturally, when the widespread corruption of the newly established Parliament was uncovered I urged Roy to once again chase after his old dream. And after much persuasion and more than a few arguments, Roy listened to me. And it paid off for him."

Ed smiled. "You always did say you'd push him to the top."

Hughes nodded. "I kept my word."

"Incidentally Maes, how long did it take Gracia to forgive you for allowing her to believe that you were dead?" Ed asked, a wicked smile on his face.

"Instead of answering your question Ed let me ask you one: Has Winry completely forgiven you for going back to the world on the other side of the Gate once you found your way home?"

Ed grimaced as flashbacks flooded, unbidden, into his mind. "Point taken."

Hughes smiled at the look on Ed's face then he abruptly pulled something from the pocket of his uniform jacket and thrust it into Ed's face. "Look at how beautiful my Elicia's grown to be!"

Ed smiled as he stared at the picture of Hughes' daughter. He had been wondering when the proud papa would pull out the pictures and frankly he was surprised that it hadn't came sooner in the conversation.

"So do you have any pictures of your kids Edward?" Hughes said, stowing the photo back in his pocket. "I know Nick isn't your only one."

Smiling slightly, Ed pulled his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a small photograph. He handed the photo to Hughes, who stared down at it.

"Twin girls huh?" Hughes said, gazing at the photo of three children. "I've only heard Nick talk about one sister."

Ed sighed and a single tear rolled down his cheek as he thought about the daughter that he'd lost. "The one on the left, Harmony, was killed in an accident when she was four. Nick was ten and he blames himself for the accident, since the girls were with him when it happened."

"Oh Edward I'm so sorry," Hughes said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I can't even imagine what it must be like to lose a child. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Ed shook his head. "It's okay Hughes. I think about Harmony often. Those we love are never truly gone and should never be forgotten."

Hughes gave Ed a kind smile. He had always admired the younger man's strength and times like this served to illustrate just how strong Ed truly was, being able to carry on after enduring so much heart ache in a relatively short life.


	16. Sensei

**Chapter Sixteen - Sensei**

Nick's State Alchemist assessment had taken place a couple of days ago and after passing, the boy had been granted a few days off as a reward and also as a period of recovery from both the physical and the mental punishment that he'd had to endure. It had not been an easy thing to find out that his dad had held the title of Fullmetal Alchemist before him and the young boy still wasn't sure how he felt about it. His mom and dad were still in Central and they were staying at the Hughes' house during their visit, so that they could spend a little quality time with the son they hardly ever got to see.

It was early in the morning and Nick found himself awake and unable to go back to sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well since the revelation that his dad had also been a state alchemist and tonight was no exception. He'd only been asleep for a few hours when some slight noise awakened him. He tried to regain his blissful state of unconsciousness but it was no use, sleep still eluded him. So giving up he got out of bed and dressed in black pants and a black shirt with white trim.

Once he was dressed, Nick left his room and slipped silently downstairs. There he found his father sitting in a chair in the living room, staring out the window. Ed was gazing out at the rising sun but looked over when he heard his son enter the room.

"Good morning Nicholas," Ed said quietly as his son entered the room.

"What are you doing up so early dad?" Nick wanted to know.

"Couldn't sleep," Ed said. "And you?"

"Same."

Nick sat down on the couch across from the chair where his dad sat and gazed down at the hands that he held clasped in his lap. Sometimes it was still awkward to hang out with his dad and at times Nick was at a loss as to what to say to the man. They had so much in common and yet there were times when Nick felt as though he were talking to a complete stranger. He hoped this feeling would go away once he had reached his goal.

Without so much as another word to his son Ed stood up and walked toward the stairs.

"Don't leave on my account," Nick said, watching as his dad walked toward the stairs.

"I'll be right back," Ed told his son, a somewhat lop-sided smile appearing on his face as his gaze returned to the son that looked so much like him. "There's something I need to go and get from upstairs. Stay there."

Nick nodded and watched as his dad disappeared.

Ed returned a few minutes later carrying a medium sized, rectangular box. He walked across the room and sat down on the couch beside his son, who was staring at the box with a questioning expression on his face.

"I have something I'd like you to have." Ed handed the box to his son and watched him expectantly.

"What is it?" Nick asked, taking the box from his dad.

"A memento from my days as a dog of the military," Ed informed the boy.

Nick opened the box and pulled from it a red, hooded coat with the symbol of their teacher embroidered on the back. Nick held the coat up and inspected it. "Wow."

Ed smiled. "I wore that coat for many years, while in the service of the military. Now I think it's only right that I pass it on to you, Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Thanks dad." Nick pulled on the coat and, to his surprise, it fit perfectly.

"It looks good on you." Ed gazed at the son that looked eerily like him, especially now that he wore the red coat, and suddenly decided that the two of them should spend a little quality time together. After all he didn't get to see his son as often as he would like. "Hey Nick how about the two of us go for a walk? You game?"

"Sure," Nick said, a smile spreading across his face. "Should we wake Mom and tell her that we're leaving?"

Ed shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure that we'll be home before she becomes worried."

"Alright dad," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders. "If you say so."

So together Ed and Nick left the Hughes house and strolled out onto the streets of Central, laughing and joking with one another as though they were just an ordinary father and son. It had been a long time since the two of them had spent any time together and they both thoroughly enjoyed joking and taunting one another.

The sun had barely risen when Ed and Nick left the Hughes' house so there weren't any other people out and about. The two of them had the streets of Central all to themselves.

"This is nice," Nick said. "I've never seen Central this deserted."

"This is the best time to see Central," Ed said.

Father and son were walking along the sidewalk in downtown Central when Ed suddenly spied a huge muscular man standing in front of one of the shops. Recognizing the man immediately, Ed turned to his son, a barely veiled look of concern on his face. "Come on Nick. I think we need to take a trip."

And with that Ed grabbed his son by the arm and commenced to drag him down the street.

Nick fought his dad's grip on his arm, confused and slightly irritated over the sudden action. "Wait dad. Can you at least tell me where it is we're going?"

"I'm not sure," Ed replied, still walking and half dragging his son along with him. He didn't have time to stop and explain things to the kid or else it would turn very bad for them in a big hurry."As far away from here a possible."

Nick was still confused. "And why exactly do we have to run? For that matter, what are we running from?"

"Trust me Nick," Ed said, as he turned his head from side to side as though searching for something. "You don't wanna know."

"Yes, I do," Nick snapped, his golden eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"No, you just think you do," Ed assured him, continuing to drag his son in the direction of the train station.

Ed and Nick were almost at the train station when a woman and a man stepped from behind some old crates and directly into their path. The woman was of slightly above average height and had dark hair, which she wore up in a mass of braids. The man was taller still and he also had dark hair and big, bulging muscles. Ed groaned under his breath as the duo stepped out to bar their escape route.

"Sensei!" Nick gasped, now fully aware of why his father had wanted to flee Central as fast as possible. _"This is bad," _the boy thought to himself, now in complete agreement with his dad that they should run far and run fast. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Did you think I wouldn't hear about it Nick?" Izumi asked angrily. "Did you think I'd rejoice at the news that once again my idiot apprentice abandoned everything I taught him to become a dog of the military?"

Nick stared at his sensei, a horrified expression on his face. "I knew you didn't care much for the military but I never knew you felt that strongly about it."

Izumi ran over, grabbed Nick by the shirt collar and punched him in the stomach, hard. The boy gasped and sank to his knees. His vision blurred and then he completely lost consciousness. Watching as his son sank to the ground Ed merely raised his hands above his head and admitted defeat. He'd much rather surrender and avoid bodily harm, if that were at all possible when dealing with Izumi.

* * *

As he regained consciousness, Nick found that he was now bound by ropes and sitting in the passenger car of a train. "What the hell's going on?" he mumbled as his vision ceased to be blurry. The position that he now found himself in was not the least bit comfortable and the young boy struggled against the ropes in a vain attempt to loosen them enough so that he could escape.

"So you're awake huh," his dad's voice said from the seat across from his. "That's good."

Nick looked up and saw that his dad was sitting across from him and had also been tied up. "Dad what happened?"

"Sensei," Ed replied simply.

Nick's eyes widened as he remembered what had transpired in Central. "So now where are we?"

"On a train bound for Dublith," Ed replied in a calm voice, as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

"Damn," Nick muttered.

"Yea," Ed said with a chuckle. "My sentiments were also somewhere along those lines."

Nick examined the ropes that held him and decided that it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to get free. "Hey dad," he said, an evil grin appearing on his face. "You wanna run?"

Ed shook his head. "No. No I don't. And I don't think you should either. It's not a good idea." Ed shook his head and sighed as the ropes that had bound his son fell to the floor. The kid didn't listen to a word he said.

Nick stood up and stretched. Then he headed over to the door of the passenger car. As he went, he absentmindedly put his hands in his pockets and it was then that he made a new discovery. "They stole my silver pocket watch." The boy placed his hand on the door, preparing to open it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ed said from his spot on the seat, where he was still tied up. "You'll regret it."

"Oh come on." Nick rolled his eyes in exasperation. "They're all the way up in the front of the train. I'll be long gone by the time they know anything about this."

Ed stared seriously at his son. "I'm telling you kid, you don't wanna do that. It is not a good idea."

"It'll be fine dad," Nick said, a self-assured tone in his voice.

Ed shook his head. "Alright Nicholas. I guess you'll just have to learn the hard way, again."

Nick opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He made it all of two feet out of the passenger compartment before an object came flying out of nowhere and struck him in the head. Seeing stars, the boy collapsed to the ground. His silver pocket watch clamored to the ground beside him.

The man and woman from the train station stepped out into the isle. They stood there, staring at the young boy who was lying in the isle seeing stars.

"Where do you think you're going Nicholas?" the woman asked, glaring at the boy.

"I'll get him Izumi."

"Thanks honey."

The man walked over and effortlessly picked up the small boy. He carried Nick back into the car and placed him on the seat he'd just escaped from. The woman stepped up beside him and gazed over at Ed, who was still tied up.

"The boy really is just like you," the woman commented dryly.

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult," Ed said, his gaze focused squarely on the woman who had taught him alchemy so long ago.

"Depends on the day," the woman told him. "However I see you've learned to behave at least, Edward."

"Depends on the day," Ed said with a smile. "So don't get used to it."

"Oh I won't," the woman said. "Besides things would be very boring if you behaved yourself all the time."

"That's good to hear Sensei," Ed said with a grin. "That means that you'll forgive me for this."

As he spoke, the ropes that had bound Ed fell to the floor.

The woman smiled. "You did that a long time ago Edward. You've been holding the ropes in place since before Nicholas woke up."

"So you did know," Ed said. "I figured as much."

"You didn't honestly think you could use your alchemy without my knowing about it did you Ed?"

"Not really," Ed said.

Not long after that, the train that they were aboard slowed and pulled to a shaky stop at the station in Dublith. Ed picked up his still unconscious son and followed Izumi and her husband off the train.

"Wh. . .What the hell just happened?" Nick mumbled.

"Ah, he awakes," Ed said, placing his son down on his own two feet. "Welcome back to the world of the living. Again. Try to stay conscious for a little longer this time, okay Nick?"

Izumi turned around and looked at Nick, who immediately shrank away and slid behind Ed.

"Hiding's pointless kid," Ed said, continuing to follow Izumi and her husband down the street. "You should know that by now Nick.

Realizing that his dad was right Nick stopped hiding behind Ed and followed the group down the street, in the direction of Izumi's house. He didn't really want to go with them but he realized that he had no choice. Unfortunately for him there was no escape from Izumi and it would be bad for him if he attempted to run again, so he resigned himself to defeat.

_"Maybe she'll make it quick and painless," _Nick thought to himself as he followed his sensei, her husband and his father down the street toward sensei's house. _"I think that's all I can reasonably hope for at this point."_

As the group approached Izumi's house they saw that a man was standing outside, watching their approach. The man smiled and waved as they came to a stop in front of the house.

"Well if it isn't Edward," the man said, smiling. "And young Nicholas. It's good to see you again."

"Hey Mason." Ed shook the man's hand warmly. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," the man named Mason replied. "And how about you?"

"Can't complain," Ed said.

"So Nick," Mason said, switching his attention to the young boy. "Have you improved your alchemy?"

"Maybe a little," Nick said.

"That's wonderful," Mason said. "Glad to hear it. I always knew you had talent. You really are just like your dad."

The group was standing outside the house when they suddenly heard the screams of someone from a little ways off. Without thought Ed, Nick, Mason, Izumi and her husband took off running toward the sound of the screams.

After running a short distance, the group came upon a tall tree. And dangling from one of the branches of the tree was a young girl.

"Help me!"

Suddenly the girl lost her grip and fell from the tree.

Without thought Nick ran forward, clasped his hands together and transmuted the grass into a pillow just in time to cushion the girl's landing. The girl landed without harm and Nick collapsed beside her.

Izumi gasped as she saw Nick's transmutation without an array. _"Oh no," _she gasped under her breath. _"Not another one." _

Up until this point Izumi had only had her suspicions about what Nick had done but now she had proof. His transmutation without the use of an alchemy array proved her suspicion beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet another child had traveled down the path that Ed and Al had walked so many years ago and this knowledge saddened her deeply. No one should have to endure such suffering.

Ed ran over to the two kids and knelt down beside the girl. "Are you okay?"

The girl sat up shakily and slowly nodded. Then she abruptly turned and hugged Nick. "Thank you for saving me." And with that, she jumped up and ran off.

"Honey," Izumi said, turning to face her husband. "You, Edward and Mason should return to the house. Nick and I will be along shortly."

Izumi's husband nodded and the three men turned and walked back in the direction of Izumi's house, leaving Izumi and Nick behind. Ed cast one last look over his shoulder at his son before following the other two men off in the direction of Izumi's house.

As soon as the others were gone, Izumi whirled to face Nick. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean Sensei?" Nick asked confused. He had no idea what he could have possibly done to evoke her wrath. "I saved the girl from serious injury."

"Yes." Izumi glared at her young student. "You saved the girl by using alchemy without a transmutation circle. And you've acquired an auto-mail arm since last I saw you. Now tell me what you did."

Nick gazed at the ground, dreading what he knew he must tell her.

"Answer me."

"I. . .I transmuted . . .transmuted my sister," Nick answered.

Nick gasped as Izumi grabbed hold of his shirt collar and punched him in the face. The boy gasped in pain as his sensei continued to punch him, in the face, in the stomach.

After several punches, Izumi released her hold on Nick's collar and allowed the boy to drop to the ground. Nick coughed and gasped for breath while his sensei stood over him, glaring down at him.

Nick glanced up at Izumi and then got shakily to his feet. He stood his ground and gazed at Izumi, ready for whatever else she saw fit to do to him. He knew that he deserved her anger and thus refused to defend himself. But he was surprised when her next move was to hug him.

Izumi grasped the boy tightly and pulled him close to her.

Tears immediately appeared in Nick's eyes and he placed his head on Izumi's shoulder. Sensei and student held each other, both with tears streaming down their faces.

"I'm sorry Sensei," Nick whispered, tears flowing down his face. "I know what I did was wrong but what could I do? She was my sister and it was my fault she died. If I'd been a better big brother, she wouldn't have died. I had to try."

Hearing the boy's words made Izumi's tears fall at a quicker rate. This shouldn't have happened. It could have been prevented and yet here was another youth going through the very same torture that Ed and Al had endured.

Ed, Mason and Izumi's husband Sig were sitting out on the porch when they saw Izumi and Nick walking toward the house. They were traveling at a slow pace and Nick was limping slightly. Ed gazed at his son and knew instantly what had transpired between the boy and Izumi. As he watched their approach, he wondered whether or not Nick would tell him what had happened.

Nick walked over and came to stand beside his father.

Ed gazed down at the boy, waiting for Nick to say something about what had happened and yet the boy did not.

"Edward," Izumi said.

"Yes Sensei?"

"You should probably give Winry a call and let her know that you and Nick are safe. She's probably worried about the two of you by now."

"You're right." Ed's eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten about Winry. "I completely forgot about Winry. May I use your phone?"

Izumi nodded and Ed dashed inside to call Winry before she came looking for him and Nick. He was in a hurry because he knew that if Winry came looking for the two of them, she'd be out for blood and as bad as it was he'd much rather face Izumi's wrath.

Ed ran over to the phone and grabbed the receiver. He quickly dialed the Hughes' phone number and listened as the phone rang. After a few rings the phone was picked up and a voice came over the line.

"Hughes here."

Ed was ecstatic when he heard the sound of Hughes voice issuing from the other end of the phone. He had not relished the thought of personally telling Winry what had happened and where he know was and now, thanks to the general he didn't have to.

"Maes, it's Ed."

"Hey Ed," General Hughes said in a friendly tone. "Where exactly did you run off to? We all woke up this morning and found you missing. And Nick's gone too. We've all been worried sick about the two of you, especially Winry."

"I know and I'm sorry but it wasn't exactly something that could be prevented and it definitely wasn't planned," Ed said. "The kid and I went for a walk early this morning, because neither of us could sleep, but then we were ambushed in Central by Sensei. I didn't plan for it to happen but Nick and I are now in Dublith."

"Dublith huh?" Hughes said. "No wonder searching for you in Central was useless. So when do you plan on coming back?"

"I'm not sure," Ed told his longtime friend. "Whenever Sensei allows it, I suppose."

"I see." Hughes voice was filled with understanding. "Not that I blame you for not being in a hurry to get back. If I were either of you I wouldn't wanna come back here either because you're both in a whole lot of trouble."

"I know, I know," Ed said.

"Alright Ed," Hughes said. "As long as you know."

"Could you do me a favor Hughes?"

"Sure Ed. What do you need?"

"Tell Winry that Nick and I are safe and that we'll be back as soon as possible. And let Mustang know that Nick didn't desert the military."

"Wait," Hughes said, in a slightly whiney voice. "Ed, I don't wanna do that. Mustang I can handle but I don't know about Winry."

Ed ignored Hughes' protests. "Thanks Hughes, I owe you one."

And with that Ed hung up the phone.

As he placed the phone down Ed heaved a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn't actually had to talk to Winry and tell her that he and Nick had been kidnapped and dragged off to Dublith. He did feel slightly sorry for Hughes but he was sure that that feeling would pass.

"I owe you one Hughes," Ed said aloud to no one.

Then he walked back outside and rejoined the rest of the group.

"So," Nick said, as his dad came to stand beside him. "How did Mom take the news that we're in Dublith?"

"I don't know," Ed said.

"You didn't tell her?" Nick and Izumi said together.

Ed shook his head. "No. Hughes answered the phone and I told him to relay the message."

Nick shook his head. "I can't believe you dad. Making the poor General do your dirty work for you."

Ed looked down at his son. "Well if you really feel that one of us should break the news to your mother then you can call back and tell her yourself Nicholas."

"No that's okay," Nick said quickly, the very thought of the idea making him tremble.

"Alright then," Ed said. "That's what I thought. You have no right to criticize me."

"You're right," Nick said. "I'm sorry dad."

"Apology accepted," Ed said.

A/N - and that's the end of yet another chapter. Hope you enjoyed.


	17. Havoc's Revenge

**Chapter Eighteen - Havoc's Revenge**

Col. Havoc was once again sitting in his office, avoiding the growing stack of paperwork on his desk, when he heard a knock on the door. Havoc leaned back in his chair, glad for a diversion. "Enter."

The door opened and Hawkeye entered the office.

"Hello Riza," Havoc said, surprised to see Fuhrer Mustang's wife and equally surprised that she wasn't accompanied by the Fuhrer. This was a rare sight indeed and Havoc couldn't help but be curious as to the reason why. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I had to get away," Hawkeye said, rolling her eyes. "Roy received a call from Edward and the two of them spent an hour and a half arguing about your subordinate over the phone. I swear I think he's the only thing the two of them can agree about and they still argue about him constantly. Even when they agree, they still fight. It's maddening. Neither of them really wants him to be in the military and yet at the same time neither of them really wants him to be kicked out of the military. Even though they both feel pretty much the same way about his involvement in the military neither of them will ever admit that fact to the other. In stead all they do is fight. It drives me crazy."

Col. Havoc nodded. "I completely understand."

Hawkeye sat down in the seat across from Col. Havoc's desk. "I wish I could do something about it."

An evil glint appeared in the colonel's eyes. "I don't know how to make the two of them stop fighting but I think there's a way we can get back at Mustang and get Ed in the process."

"What did you have in mind?" Hawkeye asked, her curiosity aroused by his words.

* * *

Mustang was sitting in his office, staring at a stack of paperwork but doing nothing, when his phone suddenly rang. Grateful for a legitimate excuse to avoid his paperwork he picked up the phone. "Mustang here."

"Hey sir," Havoc's voice came over the line.

Mustang was instantly irritated. Havoc's office was just down the hall and he could easily have walked the few feet if he had something important to say. And Mustang had a sneaking suspicion that Havoc had nothing worthwhile to say, since that would be way out of character for him. "What do you want Havoc?"

"Nothing really," Havoc said, his voice casual. "I just wanted to see what you were doing."

"Working." Mustang's voice was filled with impatience. "Something you should try every once in a while."

"I've tried it," Havoc said. "Didn't like it. But that's beside the point."

The pointless conversation between Mustang and Havoc was suddenly interrupted when the door to Mustang's office was unceremoniously thrust open and an angry figure stalked into the room. Ed clasped his hands together and transmuted a huge stone wall, which conveniently blocked the door. Then, once the only escape route had been blocked, the young man turned to face Mustang, an irritated expression on his face.

"Edward," Mustang exclaimed in surprise, dropping the receiver of the phone. "What are you doing here?"

**"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!!!" **Ed burst out.

Mustang was instantly confused. He was used to angry outbursts from Ed but this one caught him totally off guard. He couldn't think of a single thing that he might have done to have caused this much animosity from Ed, at least not recently. "What can't you believe?"

"Don't you dare act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Ed said angrily, although he lowered his voice slightly.

"I'm not acting," Mustang said, a confused look on his face. "I honestly have no idea why you're so upset with me."

Ed growled low in his throat, unable to believe that Mustang was playing dumb. He pulled a folded up piece of paper from his back pocket and held it up. "I received this letter in the mail, written on military stationary, informing me that my son, Nicholas Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was being court-martialed."

**"WHAT?!" **Mustang exclaimed, his voice raising in volume enough to match Ed's earlier outburst. He snatched the piece of paper from Ed's hand and stared down at it. The Fuhrer's eyes widened in surprise. He lifted his gaze so that his eyes were once again focused on Ed and when he spoke his voice had returned to its normal volume, some of his initial shock having worn off. "Nick's not being court-martialed and I didn't send this to you."

"Liar," Ed spat out.

"I'm not lying," Mustang said, his voice steadily rising with each word he spoke. He was beginning to grow angry at this point. "Besides I thought you wanted Nick out of the military and out of my grasp?"

"I may want him out of the military," Ed said, giving Mustang a look of utmost contempt. "But I want him to leave of his own free will, not be kicked out by the likes of you. And you have absolutely no right to get rid of him considering you're the one who pulled the strings that got him into the military in the first place."

Mustang shook his head, once again scanning the letter that he'd snatched from Edward's hands. He had no idea who had sent the letter to Ed but he knew full well that it hadn't been him. Mustang racked his brains in an attempt to think of who might have a grudge against both him and Edward but after a few moments he gave up. The list was simply too long and there was no way to determine the culprit without some way to narrow the list.

"If you didn't send me the letter then how can you explain your signature at the bottom?"

Mustang's eyes darted to the bottom of the page and sure enough, there was his signature. His eyes widened. "How the hell did that happen?"

"See?" Ed said. "There's no way for you to explain this away."

"It's obviously a forgery," Mustang said although his tone held no trace of the certainty it had held earlier.

"That's lame," Ed said, rolling his eyes in the direction of his former superior. "I've seen your signature enough to know that this is it. Now tell me why you're court-martialing my son?"

**"FOR THE LAST TIME I'M NOT COURT-MARTIALING HIM!!!"** Mustang yelled.

Ed opened his mouth but he was halted mid scream by a strange noise. "What the hell is that?"

Mustang stopped and listened and then he, too, heard the strange noise. And his face turned bright red as he realized what the noise was. He walked back over to his desk and picked up the phone receiver, which he'd dropped when Ed suddenly burst into his office.

**"HAVOC!!!"**

The phone suddenly went dead.

"Come on Ed," Mustang said, heading toward the door. "If you'll kindly move your huge stone barricade, we'll get to the bottom of this."

Ed walked over to the stone that he'd placed in front of the door, clasped his hands together and returned it to its original form. And, after fixing the large hole in the floor, the young man turned back to Mustang. The Fuhrer yanked the door of the office open and stalked out into the hallway. Falling into step behind his former commander Ed followed Mustang out of the office, down the hall to Havoc's office.

Mustang thrust open the door and stormed into the office. There he found Havoc sitting at his desk, and Hawkeye sitting in front of the desk. "What exactly is going on?" Mustang asked with forced calm.

When Mustang and Ed had burst into his office Havoc had forced a serious expression onto his face but as soon as he saw the angry expression his superior wore he found himself unable to maintain his serious attitude. He burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

Hawkeye covered her mouth with her hand, in an attempt to hide her own laughter from her husband.

Mustang's gaze left Havoc and focused on his wife. "I expect this kind of thing from Havoc but I can't believe you were in on it."

"She's not the only one," a new voice said from the doorway.

Mustang and Ed turned to face the doorway and Winry smiled at them. "Hello boys. Now did you learn a lesson?"

**"WHAT?!!" **Mustang and Ed both exclaimed angrily.

Mustang whirled on Havoc. "You did this on purpose."

Havoc nodded. "Yep. It's all part of my evil plan."

"How could you do something like this?" Ed asked, his eyes burning with a barely controlled anger. He turned to his wife. "You knew about this didn't you?"

Winry nodded and Havoc gave Ed a 'duh' look. "Of course she knew about it. You may be surprised to learn this but contrary to popular belief I'm not stupid. We knew that there was no way we could get away with this unless we included Winry."

"Well," Mustang cleared his throat, his anger building upon finding out that Havoc had drug both his wife and Ed's into this. "I think I'll amuse myself with a real court-martial now."

Havoc's eyes widened and the grin left his face.

"No," Ed said suddenly, a smile appearing unexpectedly on his face. He walked over to Havoc (who shrank away in fear) and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Havoc got us fair and square and I have to admit it was the perfect practical joke. He managed to get us both with it."

Havoc was speechless. He hadn't expected such a reaction, especially not from Ed.

Mustang shrugged. "I guess you're right. And no harm was done, really. The nitwits left the boy out of it at least."

Ed nodded.

"There's just one thing I want to know," Mustang said, his questioning gaze sweeping around the room. "How exactly did my signature get on that document? I've thought of several possible scenarios and each is just as unlikely as the next."

"I'm curious about that as well," Ed said. "After all, that's what made me absolutely sure that the document was genuine."

Mustang glanced over at his subordinate. "So tell us Havoc. How did you do it? Enquiring minds want to know."

"It was all Hawkeye." As much as he'd like to, Havoc knew that he couldn't take credit for that particular aspect of the prank. He couldn't have pulled it off without Riza's help.

Mustang's eyes widened and he stared at his wife in disbelief. "You did it?"

Hawkeye smiled. "And it wasn't that difficult either. I just waited for one of those days when you were preoccupied and not paying attention to your paperwork and I slipped it into the stack. Then, once you'd placed your signature on it, I confiscated it and gave it to Col. Havoc. He mailed it to Edward and then all we had to do was wait."

Ed turned to face the Fuhrer. "Well, I hope at least you learned something from this whole ordeal. Stop doing your paperwork with that glazed, 'I wish I were anywhere other than here' look. "

"Shut up Edward," Mustang said.

A/N - I admit that this chapter is a filler and doesn't even include the main character however the idea came up and I couldn't resist writing it down. Hope you enjoyed.


	18. Kaori's Party

**Chapter Eighteen - Kaori's Party**

As he watched Central Station come into view Nick was surprised by the fact that, for once, he actually felt relieved to be back. He normally hated returning to Central because being there put him back under the military's thumb however after one harrowing battle after another it actually felt good to be back where he was relatively safe.

When the train came to a stop Nick jumped up and grabbed his suitcase from the overhead luggage rack and quickly exited the train.

"Mr. Elric," a voice called out as Nick stepped onto the platform.

Nick glanced around and saw a man dressed in military blue, standing a few feet away from him. The man hurried over to the spot where Nick stood and saluted.

"Can I help you?" Nick asked the soldier.

"Col. Havoc sent me to fetch you sir," the soldier replied. "He wishes to see you ASAP."

"Oh," Nick said, wondering whether the colonel had another mission for him already. "Okay."

"Come with me and I'll take you to Central HQ."

Nick nodded and fell into step behind the soldier. But as they walked away from the train Nick thought to himself, _"He sends someone different to get me every time. I could end up kidnapped like this."_

That thought caused the boy to chuckle softly_._ If such an unlikely scenario took place it wouldn't be the first time he'd been kidnapped and it might actually prove to be an amusing diversion._ "Come to think of it, that might not be so bad. It would definitely liven things up and after the people I've faced mere kidnappers would be a piece of cake."_

The soldier led Nick to a car and opened the back door for him. Nick climbed into the backseat and the soldier closed the door. He then walked around to the front driver's side and got in.

When they arrived at Central HQ the soldier quickly got out of the car and once again opened the door for Nick. Nick got out of the car, still lugging his suitcase, and gazed at the soldier.

"You're dismissed. I don't need an escort to the colonel's office. Thanks for the ride."

The soldier saluted and walked off.

Nick left his suitcase in the front lobby and then headed off in the direction of the colonel's office. As he walked down the hall toward his superior's office Nick saw a woman dressed in a gray suit walking toward him. The woman was tall, with blonde hair, and as they drew closer to one another Nick recognized her as Fuhrer Mustang's wife.

"Hello Nicholas," Hawkeye said, smiling at the boy as she came to a stop in front of him. "I didn't know you were back in Central."

"Just got back."

"I see," Hawkeye said. "So how did the mission go?"

"Fairly well," Nick replied. "I managed to come back completely intact this time."

"That's always a plus," Hawkeye said. "I realize that it's a little short notice but since you're back you should come to Kaori's birthday party tonight."

"Today's Kaori's birthday?"

Hawkeye nodded. "And I know it would make her happy if you came to her party."

"I don't know if I can ma'am," Nick said in an uncertain voice. "Col. Havoc sent for me as soon as I arrived back in Central so he may have another mission planned for me."

"Well if he tells you that he has a mission for you then simply tell him that you have plans this evening and that any missions he may have planned can wait until tomorrow. And if he has a problem with that then tell him that he can take it up with me."

"Ma'am?"

Hawkeye smiled, a knowing look on her face. "And I promise you that Roy will behave himself."

Nick stared at the ground. He was running out of excuses.

"The party begins at six."

Nick nodded.

"I'll see you then." And with that she walked away, leaving Nick no opportunity to further protest.

Nick watched as she walked away, thinking to himself, _"Damn she's good."_

Once Hawkeye was gone Nick continued his journey down the hall toward Col. Havoc's office. When he reached the office, Nick knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter."

Nick opened the door and entered his superior's office, closing the door quietly behind himself.

"Welcome back Chief," Col. Havoc said cheerfully as Nick walked across the office.

Nick nodded and took a seat in front of Col. Havoc's desk.

"Do you have anything to report?" Col. Havoc asked after the boy sat down.

Plenty of things had happened to him during the time that he'd spent in the southern city of Kishua however since none of it pertained to the actual mission that Col. Havoc had sent him on Nick chose not to confide any of the details to his superior. He shook his head in answer to the colonel's question.

"Didn't expect that you would," Col. Havoc said. "Well seeing as you've been gone for so long I suppose you've earned a break. You may take the rest of the day off. However I want you to be here early tomorrow morning."

"Thanks colonel," Nick said_. "Well that solves one of my problems," _Nick thought to himself ruefully.

Nick stood up and walked toward the door but stopped when he was about halfway across the room. His mind made up the boy turned back toward his superior. "Colonel, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it Chief?"

"What kind of gifts do girls like?"

An evil grin spread across Col. Havoc's face. "Trying to impress a girl, Fullmetal?"

**"NO!" **Nick snapped. "It's nothing like that. She's just my friend and I just wanna get her something nice for her birthday. That's all."

"I see. Well I'm not sure if **I'M** really the best person to be asking about this kind of thing but you can't go wrong with jewelry."

"Jewelry huh?" A thoughtful expression appeared on Nick's face. That he could work with. "Thanks colonel."

"No problem kid," Col. Havoc said with a knowing smile. "Happy to be of service."

Nick nodded to his superior and then left the office. He quickly made his way down the hall and left the building, his mind occupied by thoughts of what kind of jewelry Kaori might like.

The boy left HQ and made his way to Central's shopping district. Having never had need of one, the boy had a little difficulty located a jeweler and even more problems finding one willing and able to make what he wanted on such short notice.

However he was finally able to find one who said that he could have Nick's order ready by the deadline that Nick provided.

"Thank you so much sir," Nick said, his voice filled with gratitude.

The jeweler nodded.

It was six fifteen and Kaori found herself surrounded by a large group of snobs. They were all children of high ranking military officers and she knew that her parents had been obliged to invite them or risk insulting people but all the same they were getting on her last nerve.

She and her two actual friends, Rika and Erin, were sitting on a sofa in the middle of the large sitting room and they were flanked on all sides by a bunch of self absorbed airheads.

"Cheer up Kaori," Erin whispered. "It's your birthday and you're supposed to be enjoying yourself."

"Like that's gonna happen," Kaori said bitterly. "I'm surrounded by stupid, phony people who only want to talk about themselves. They're too self absorbed to even notice that they're being talked about right now and I'm forced to spend time with them. Sorry but that's not my idea of fun."

At that moment the group heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. Rika scanned the room full of guests and then looked over at Kaori. "Are you expecting more guests?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I thought that everyone who was invited was already here."

"Apparently not," Rika said. "I wonder who it could be."

Their curiosity was soon satisfied. Moments later Hawkeye entered the room, followed a few steps back by Nick.

"Who is that?" a dark-haired girl whispered to one of her friends.

"I don't know," the other girl said in response. "But he's cute."

The dark-haired girl laughed at her friend. "Don't get any ideas Sienna. I think you're too old for him. Look how small he is."

Sensing an upcoming conflict and seeking to prevent it, Kaori leaned over and interrupted their conversation. "His name is Nick Elric and he's roughly two and a half months older than I am. And you'd better not let him hear you calling him small. He has a nasty temper where that particular subject is concerned."

"Look Kaori," Hawkeye said cheerfully as she and Nick came to a stop in front of the sofa where Kaori and her friends sat. "A late arrival."

Kaori smiled. "Hey Nick. Glad you could make it."

Kaori nudged her two friends, who immediately moved over and made room for Nick on the sofa. Nick sat down beside Kaori and gazed around the room. The group stared back at him with identical looks of disdain.

Nick leaned over closer to Kaori. "What's their problem? Is this a birthday party or a funeral?"

Kaori laughed out loud and then gave Nick the first real smile that she'd worn all day. "They all come from prestigious military families and have had a 'proper' upbringing. Which, in short, means that they think they're better than everyone else."

"I see," Nick said. "Well aren't they special."

Kaori nodded. "Yea, special in the way that nobody wants to be."

Nick laughed. "Succinctly put."

Erin and Rika leaned over so that they could join the conversation.

"You, we like," Rika said with a smile. "My name's Rika."

"I'm Erin and I second that."

"Nick. And I appreciate the votes of approval from two of the few people in this room not wearing vacant expressions."

Kaori smiled as she listened to Nick talk with her friends. She was glad that Nick had taken up with her friends so fast and she was equally glad that they seemed to approve of him, since they were really selective about who they talked to.

As the party progressed it soon became apparent to Nick that none of the guest, save for himself, Rika and Erin, were paying any attention to the guest of honor. They all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and completely ignoring Kaori.

"You aren't enjoying yourself are you Kaori?" Nick said softly.

"It's okay," Kaori said.

"No it's not," Nick said, a far-away look in his eyes. "Everyone deserves to be happy on their birthday. Come on, let's ditch these losers."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Kaori wanted to know.

"Simple," Nick said with an evil grin. "Hawkeye told me that after dinner everyone would be moving to the rec room for a little entertainment. That will give us the perfect opportunity to slip off."

Kaori's eyes brightened. "Sounds like a plan."

"Have fun you guys," Erin said.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked. "You're both coming too."

The two girls smiled. Neither of them had expected an invitation but they were both extremely happy to be included.

After dinner Mustang led the guests down a long corridor toward the rec room. Kaori and her friends followed as well, so that their plans would not be too obvious.

"Now's our chance," Nick said as he and the girls slipped to the back of the pack.

The three girls nodded.

The four kids walked really slowly down the corridor until the rest of the group disappeared around a corner.

"Come on," Nick said as the group disappeared. "It's now or never."

The four kids turned around and began to walk quickly in the direction they'd just come from. As they went Nick kept a sharp lookout for any of the military officers who'd accompanied their children to the party.

The group made it to the foyer without being seen and Nick thought they were home free. That's when they ran into Hawkeye, who smiled at them, a knowing look in her eyes.

"The birthday girl has to open gifts in two hours," Hawkeye said before abruptly turning around and walking away.

"That was weird," Kaori said. "Maybe we should rejoin the others."

Nick shook his head. "We'll be fine as long as we're not gone longer than two hours."

"Come on Kaori," Rika said. "Don't back out now. We've gotten this far."

"Yea and we got caught by my mom."

"But she didn't stop us," Erin pointed out."

"Guys," Kaori said. "Don't make me revert to being the responsible one of the group."

Nick took Kaori's hand. "That won't be necessary. I'll take full responsibility if anything bad happens."

"Fine," Kaori said, giving in.

Nick smiled and opened the front door. He led Kaori out by the hand and the other two girls followed a few steps back. Erin was the last to exit the house and she quietly closed the door behind them.

"We made it," Rika said. "Now what?"

"Moonlit stroll through Central?" Nick said with a shrug, scratching the back of his head. "Hell, I don't know. I just thought that Kaori would be happier away from her guests."

Kaori smiled. "You were right. I don't care what we do, I'm just glad to be away from there."

Suddenly Nick eyes lit up. "I know, let's play a game!"

"What kind of game?" Rika wanted to know.

"Hide and seek."

"In the dark?" Erin's voice was filled with uncertainty.

Nick nodded. "Yea. My sisters and I used to do it all the time. It's more fun in the dark."

"But what about our time limit?" Kaori asked.

"Not a problem." Nick pulled out his pocket watch and held it up. "I'll keep track of the time and when we're almost out of time I'll use alchemy to make a flare."

Kaori nodded. "The Garden District is the boundary and when we see Nick's flare we'll all meet up at the fountain. Sound good to you guys?"

Rika and Erin both nodded.

"Okay, then it's settled," Nick said. "I'll be it. Take off while I count."

The three girls laughed as Nick turned his back and began to count.

"Better go," Rika said.

Kaori and Erin nodded and the three girls dashed off into the darkness.

Nick quickly counted to fifty and then turned around and called out into the darkness, "Ready or not here I come."

Nick walked around the Garden District, listening for minute sounds, and he soon rounded up the three girls who weren't used to playing this game in the darkness. However they soon became adept at the game and by the end they were managing to elude Nick for longer stretches of time.

For some reason even though Nick had insinuated that the group would take turns being 'it' by saying that he would be it first, the boy continued to be the seeker throughout the entire course of the game.

Time flew as the four kids played and all too soon their time ran out. Nick pulled his watch from his pocket and glanced down at it. They had thirteen minutes to get back to Kaori's house.

_"That was quick," _Nick thought to himself as he clasped his hands together and transmuted a flare. He watched the red sparks for a few seconds before quickly making his way to the fountain that was situated in the middle of the Garden District.

Nick was the first to arrive and he patiently awaited the arrival of the three girls. The girls soon joined him at the fountain and the four quickly made their way back to Kaori's house.

When they arrived at the mansion they quickly and quietly entered and made their way down the hall to the rec room. They managed to make it down the hall without being seen and they slipped into the rec room and hid in the back of the crowd.

No one seemed to notice.

"That was close," Kaori said, glancing around the room. "But no one seems to have noticed that we even left. That's slightly depressing."

"Don't sweat it Kaori," Rika said. "I bet we had way more fun than these guys."

"Hmm," Kaori said.

A few minutes later the door opened and Hawkeye entered the room. "Alright, everyone back into the sitting room."

The group filed out of the rec room and trooped back down the hall to the sitting room. They all took the seats they'd occupied earlier.

"Okay," Hawkeye said. "Now we'll let Kaori open her gifts and then we'll have cake."

A stack of gifts had been placed on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

As Kaori opened the gifts she was once again reminded that these people knew absolutely nothing about her or her interests. While the gifts were nice, not to mention expensive, none of them were anything that she would have picked out for herself.

That is until she got to the last two, which were from Rika and Erin. Both of her best friends had bought her books, each about advanced alchemy.

"Thank you," Kaori said, smiling at her two friends. She'd thanked the others as well but hadn't meant it nearly as much as she did now.

"Alchemy books," Nick said softly, staring at the gifts that Kaori's friends had given her. "I didn't even think of that."

"What was that Nick?" Kaori asked.

"Nothing." Nick pulled a small wrapped package from his pocket and handed it to Kaori. "Here's a little something from me."

Kaori took the box from him and smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything Nick."

"I know I didn't have to," Nick said. "But I wanted to."

Kaori carefully unwrapped the box and took the lid off. Inside, lying on a lining of blue velvet, was a necklace. Kaori gasped as she picked up the necklace and gazed at it. It was made of gold and had a charm of two dolphins circling an aquamarine stone. And upon closer inspection she saw a tiny transmutation circle inside the stone. And it wasn't just any array, it was the very one that she used for her transmutations.

Taking her gasp for displeasure Nick said quickly, "If you don't like it I can get you something else."

"Don't be silly. Of course I like it." Kaori said. "I love it. But how did you know about the array?"

"I saw you draw it once," Nick replied, with a shrug. "Now you won't have to."

Kaori threw her arms around Nick. "Thank you."

Nick blushed slightly. "You're welcome. Incidentally, that's why I was late. I had to find a jeweler who could make this on such short notice and it took him a little longer than he thought it would."

"That's okay," Kaori said, placing the necklace around her neck. "Having you here tonight was well worth the wait."

"Then you should thank your mother," Nick said. "She's the one who invited me. I ran into her at HQ today."

Kaori nodded, making a mental note to give her mother a big hug after everyone left.

When Kaori was finished opening her gifts the children were all served cake. This was the conclusion of the festivities and after everyone finished their cake the guests began to depart, a few at a time.

Rika, Erin and Nick were the last to depart and as they sat talking to Kaori Mustang walked up to them.

"So tell me," Mustang said, instantly capturing the quartet's attention. "Did the four of you enjoy your little outing?"

"You knew?" Kaori said, staring at her father in disbelief. She found it hard to believe that her dad had known what they'd done the whole time and had waited until now to say something about it.

"Of course," Mustang said. "You didn't think you could slip past me did you? I'm your father and father's know everything."

"Sir," Nick said quickly. "Don't blame them. It was all my idea."

Nick had promised to take the blame if anything bad happened and he had every intention of keeping that promise, no matter the consequences.

Mustang held up his hand. "Calm down Fullmetal. While I appreciate your honesty and your chivalry, it's a wasted effort. I'm not upset."

Nick was confused. "You're not?"

Mustang shook his head. "No. Kaori deserved to have a little fun. It is her birthday, after all. But you'd better be glade that she came back unharmed." And with that Mustang walked away, without another word.

"Well I should probably go," Nick said, inwardly thinking that, all things considered, he was lucky to be able to leave. "I'm sure Col. Havoc will have some mindless chore waiting for me bright and early tomorrow." Nick stood up. "Bye Kaori." He nodded to the other two girls as he walked past. "Rika. . .Erin."

The three girls waved as Nick walked away. "Bye."

"Kaori," Erin said when Nick was gone. "Why did your dad call Nick 'Fullmetal'?"

"Fullmetal is his military title," Kaori replied. "Nick's a State Alchemist."

"That little guy is a State Alchemist?" Rika said in surprise.

"Yes," Kaori said. "And a word of advice. If you ever run into him again don't call him small. He doesn't like that, and that's putting it mildly."

"So noted," Rika said.

"So how long have the two of you been friends?" Erin wanted to know.

Kaori thought about that question for a few minutes before answering. "Well I've known him for about a year but I'm not sure exactly when we became friends."

"You don't know when you became friends?" Rika asked.

Kaori shook her head. "It's complicated. He saved my life but we weren't exactly on friendly terms after that incident. I'm not sure what brought us together."

"Well he seems nice enough," Erin said.

Kaori smiled. "He was on his best behavior tonight. And luckily for the people who said it, he didn't overhear anyone calling him small. That would have been **BAD**."

Hawkeye entered the room while the three girls were discussing Nick. "It's getting late girls. Why don't you two call your parents and ask if you can stay here tonight?"

"Are you sure that's okay Miss Riza?" Erin asked.

Hawkeye nodded. "You can use the phone in the study."

"Okay." The two girls jumped to their feet and ran from the room.

Hawkeye sat down on the sofa beside her daughter. "I'm sorry your party wasn't what you hoped it would be Kaori."

"Are you kidding Mom? I had a great time." Kaori leaned over and gave her mother a hug. "Thanks for inviting Nick."

"You're welcome," Hawkeye said. "So what did he bring you? I couldn't see what it was from where I was standing."

Kaori unfastened the necklace and pulled it off. Then she carefully handed it to her mother. Hawkeye took the necklace from her daughter and gazed down at it. "The transmutation circle. . .how did he know?"

"He saw me draw it once," Kaori told her mother. "Once! The boy must have a photographic memory or something."

"He's a very gifted alchemist," Hawkeye said thoughtfully. "I think he just picks up minute details that relate to alchemy without really thinking about it."

"Hmm," Kaori said.

Hawkeye handed the necklace back to her daughter, who placed it back around her neck.

By this time Rika and Erin had returned. "Our folks said it would be okay if we stayed."

Hawkeye smiled. "Now don't you girls stay up all night."

"We won't," the three girls said.

"Just most of it," Rika added with a mischievous grin.

Hawkeye left the room without comment, shaking her head as she went, the sound of the girls' laughter following her into the hallway.

Kaori shook her head, gazing at her best friend as they watched Hawkeye leave. "Your honesty is gonna get us all in trouble one of these days."

Nick arrived at HQ early the next morning only to find that Col. Havoc wasn't there. And that completely and utterly pissed the off. His eyes narrowed and a tic mark appeared on his forehead.

"I can't believe that guy," Nick grumbled under his breath upon finding the colonel's office empty. "If he's going to order me to be here ass early in the morning then he should at least have the decency to be here waiting."

Nick stalked back down the hall, to the entrance of HQ, and then went outside. Nick leaned against the wall, still muttering random complaints to himself, and watched as various military personnel arrived.

Nick had every intention of waiting right there for Col. Havoc and as he waited he plotted vile things that he could do to his superior for revenge.

Nick's plotting was soon interrupted however by someone calling out his name.

"Nicholas."

Nick looked up and saw Hawkeye walking toward him.

"You're here early," Hawkeye commented as she came to stand beside the boy.

Nick nodded. "Yea. Col. Havoc told me to be here early today."

Hawkeye nodded, picking up on the subtle note of bitterness in Nick's tone. "I can guess the rest. You're here and your superior isn't. Am I correct in my assumption?"

Nick nodded.

"Some things will never change."

"Ma'am."

"What is it Nicholas?"

"I didn't get the chance last night," Nick said. "But I want to thank you."

Hawkeye was confused. "Thank me for what?"

"I know you're the reason why Mustang wasn't angry that Kaori, Rika, Erin and I left the party last night. You said something to him before he confronted us about it, I know you did."

Hawkeye's eyes widened. The boy was very perceptive.

"You had it all planned out, didn't you?"

"I wasn't one hundred percent sure about what would happen," Hawkeye said. "But I had a fairly good idea that you'd coerce the three girls into leaving. At least I hoped you would."

"I don't get it," Nick said. "Why did you **WANT** me to talk your daughter into leaving her own birthday party?"

Hawkeye sighed. "The children at Kaori's party, with the exception of Rika and Erin, were all children of high ranking military officers. Roy had to invite those children or risk committing political suicide but Kaori's never liked them and I knew that she wouldn't enjoy their presence. But she loves her father and I also knew that she would endure their company without protest, for him. I didn't know what to do, until I ran into you that is. When I ran into you at Central HQ I got an idea. I knew that if I invited you to the party and you saw that Kaori was unhappy you'd do something to cheer her up. And you didn't disappoint me."

"That was quite premeditated," Nick said, a grin spreading across his face. "And impressively so."

"I learned it from Roy."

"I see," Nick said. "You know I don't think it's a good idea to be picking things up from **HIM**. It could get you into trouble ma'am."

Hawkeye smiled. "It's okay. I improved upon Roy's technique. And besides, I'm married to the Fuhrer. How much trouble can I possibly get into?"

"I guess you have a point," Nick said.

Hawkeye noticed that Nick was still watching the military personnel that were coming and going through the front door. "You know what Nicholas, why don't you go home?"

"I can't do that. The colonel told me to be here."

"And I told you to go home," Hawkeye said. "I'm going to be here for awhile so I'll tell Havoc what happened. And dare him to say anything about it."

Nick grinned. "You're great."

And with that Nick walked away, laughing softly to himself as he went.

About an hour later Col. Havoc arrived at HQ. He walked down the hall to his office, opened the door and walked inside. The chair behind his desk had been facing the wall but as he opened the door and stepped into his office, the chair began to turn. Havoc's eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw who was sitting in the chair.

"Riza?"

Hawkeye smiled from her spot behind Havoc's desk. She leaned back in his chair. "I take it by your facial expression that I'm not the person you were expecting to see."

"What happened to the kid?"

"I told him to go home," Hawkeye said.

Havoc opened his mouth to say something but closed it when Hawkeye held up her finger.

"Not one word," Hawkeye said. "If you'd really wanted to talk to the kid then you would have been here when he arrived this morning. Since you weren't, whatever you had to say can't have been that important. "

Knowing that she was right, and also knowing that he couldn't argue with her even if she were wrong, Havoc shrugged and sat down in the chair positioned in front of his desk. "This is weird."

"And why's that?" Hawkeye asked. "You know, if I hadn't married Roy this is how it would be."

"I know," Havoc said, still remembering Hawkeye's days in the military and the fact that she'd been one rank above him. Then he changed the subject. "So how did Kaori's party go? Did Nick liven things up?"

Hawkeye smiled. "You could say that?"

"And Mustang was okay with that?"

"Of course," Hawkeye said.

Havoc's eyes widened. "O-hhh, I see."

Havoc, like Nick, knew exactly why Mustang had been okay with what had happened at the party. And unlike Nick he wasn't at all surprised that that was the way it was.


	19. Fullmetal Who?

**Chapter Nineteen - Fullmetal Who?**

While on his quest for answers, Nick found himself in the city of Kai which was located in the west. He wasn't certain that this small town would be of any use in his research but he'd come across a lead as to the whereabouts of Hunter and he'd decided that it was worth at least checking out. Tracking down the State Alchemist Killer had became an obsession with the boy, second only to finding the homunculus that he was responsible for creating, and as a result he took all leads concerning the man seriously.

Always a magnet for trouble it wasn't long before the young State Alchemist was faced with a definite delima. Nick was walking toward the village, from the train station, when he was suddenly attacked by the very person he was looking for.

"So brat. Did you decide that you didn't get enough of a beating in East City?"

"Something like that," Nick said in an angry voice, clasping his hands together and transmuting a spear.

"You intend to fight." The man's voice was filled with disbelief as he gazed at the weapon that the boy was now holding in his hand.

Determination shone bright in the young boy's golden eyes as he gazed at his enemy. He would not back down, no matter the odds. "Yes I do."

"Foolish child. You truly deserve the fate that I have in mind for you."

And with that the fight commenced.

Nick was much better prepared for this fight and he managed to hold his own against his opponent for awhile. However he'd been involved in many battles as of late and he still hadn't fully recovered from them. He was tired and injured and neither of those things was good considering his opponent.

"Good job boy, but I'm afraid that your luck's about to run out."

The transmutation circles on the man's biceps began to glow.

"Oh crap!"

Nick knew what the glowing transmutation circles meant and he attempted to get out of the way of the impending blast. His anticipation of the attack gave him time to avoid the brunt of it but he was unable to avoid the debris thrown by the blast. A large rock caught him in the side of the head, causing his world to spin out of control.

"Uhn," Nick moaned, sinking to the ground.

"Now to finish the job."

Dazed by the pain in his head Nick was physically unable to do anything to protect himself from the mad man who called himself a champion of the people. Hunter began walking toward the boy, intent on doing away with him for good, when he heard the sound of people. And they were heading in his direction. It was impossible to tell just how many people were approaching and Hunter knew that he would be forced to withdrawn for now. He couldn't afford to be caught at least not before his mission was complete.

Hunter growled in frustration.

"You've been granted yet another reprieve boy. But your luck won't hold out forever."

And with that the man ran.

"Well what have we here?"

The man knelt down beside the unconscious boy, who was lying face down on the ground. The old man gently rolled the boy over onto his back and discovered to his great relief that the child was just unconscious. He gently shook the kid's shoulder. "Wake up son."

Nick remained motionless.

"Is he okay Tom?"

"I think so honey," the man said to his wife. "He's just unconscious. By the size of the bump on the side of his head I'd say he took a pretty strong blow to the head."

The man named Tom picked up the limp boy. "I think we should look after him until he regains consciousness. We'll decide to do with him after that."

The woman nodded and the couple headed toward their house

* * *

"What the heck?" Nick mumbled as he opened his eyes. Which turned out to not be such a hot idea since his head was throbbing and the sudden light made it ten times worse. The boy grimaced and grasped his head in his hands. The boy gazed around the room he was now lying in, having absolutely no idea where he was or how he had came to be here. The cause of his tremendous headache was also a mystery.

"So you're awake," Tom said as he entered the room where his young guest was lying. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Where am I?" Nick asked, his eyes shifting to the face of the man that he did not know.

"You're in Kai," Tom told him in a kind voice. "My wife Lily and I found you lying unconscious on the side of the road just outside of town while we were on our way to the train station. We brought you to our home so that you could recover. That was nearly three hours ago."

"Really?" Nick asked, confusion contained in his voice. "I wonder what happened."

"Don't you know?" Lily asked in a kind voice.

Nick shook his head, which he immediately regretted as his head began to pound even harder. It was like someone was playing a bass drum beside his brain and it was really annoying. Nick gripped his head and felt the large bump. _"What in the world could have happened to me? And why don't I remember it?"_

"Well I'm sure it'll come back to you," Tom said. "My name's Tom Holt and this is my wife Lily. What's your name?"

Nick stared at the man, a strange look on his face. It was a simple enough question and yet the boy found himself unable to give the man a reply. "I. . .I'm not exactly sure."

"Honey," Lily said. "This isn't good."

Tom gazed at the boy, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Well I'm sure you're memory will come back to you in no time. In the meantime we'll have to find someone to take care of you."

"That won't be necessary," Nick said, feeling a sense of independence take over. He didn't need a baby-sitter. The boy didn't remember who he was or why he was here however he knew, without really knowing how he knew, that he could take care of himself. "I can take care of myself."

"Nonsense," Tom said. "I'll call Mr. Faulkner. He runs the local orphanage and I'm sure that he'll be more than happy to look after you until your parents can be located."

Too weak to protest further Nick lay back down on the bed and quietly awaited his fate.

* * *

Two hours later Nick found himself surrounded by a group of strange children and an oddly angry looking man who looked to be in his late forties. He was Mr. Faulkner, the man who ran the orphanage in Kai. The man had been nice enough while Tom and Lily Holt were there but as soon as they left his demeanor did an abrupt about face. His expression went from all smiles to an angry sneer.

"Just what I needed," Mr. Faulkner grumbled as though none of the children were even present. "Another noisy brat."

Nick stared at the man, who didn't really seem like the type of person who should be in charge of children.

"And this one doesn't even know his own name," Mr. Faulkner's rants continued. "That means I'm stuck with him indefinitely."

Nick stood with his hands in his pockets, not really paying any attention to Mr. Faulkner's rants. For some unknown reason the man's angry words had absolutely no affect on him.

_"I must be used to it or something," _Nick thought to himself. _"That's a scary thought."_

Mr. Faulkner's rants were put on hold when he spied a silver chain attached to Nick's belt. "What's that boy?"

Nick followed Mr. Faulkner's gaze and pulled the silver pocket watch from the depths of his pocket. He held it up and was surprised when Mr. Faulkner gasped at the sight of it.

"Where did you get that?!"

Nick shrugged, gazing at the watch which had the design of a chimera and a six pointed star on the top.

"Those watches are possessed only by State Alchemists. Did you steal it?"

"No," Nick said defiantly.

"How do you know? Have you regained your memories?"

Nick shook his head, wishing that he knew who he was but unable to grasp that information.

"Then how do you know that you didn't steal it?"

"I'm not a thief."

Mr. Faulkner walked over to the boy and grabbed the chain of the silver pocket watch. He jerked the watch out of the kid's hand and placed it in his own pocket. "I'll just hold onto this until we find out where you came from and what we are to do with you."

"Give that back!"

Mr. Faulkner's eyes widened. "Impudent whelp! How dare you use that tone with me." The man raised his hand and slapped Nick across the face. Nick was forced to take a step back to avoid being knocked down by the force of the blow but he continued to stare defiantly up at the man.

Mr. Faulkner raised his hand again, preparing to deal a second blow.

A young girl stepped forward and grabbed Nick by the arm. She pulled him back, into the group of children and away from their angry caretaker. Nick allowed himself to be pulled back by the girl, but his gaze remained defiant.

Mr. Faulkner decided to let the boy go. He turned and headed back inside the orphanage, leaving the group of children outside alone.

Once the man was gone the girl tuned to Nick. "You should watch your step around him. He's dangerous."

Nick shrugged. He wasn't afraid of that man. He wasn't sure why he felt that way but something inside him seemed to be telling him that he faced people a lot scarier than Mr. Faulkner on a daily basis.

"I'm Maiyumi," the girl told him. "What's your name?"

"I have no clue," Nick said.

"You don't even know your own name?" Maiyumi asked.

Nick shook his head. "I can't remember what it is. I've tried but I can't."

"I'm sorry," Maiyumi said. "So then you don't know why you were in possession of a State Alchemist's pocket watch?"

Once again, Nick shook his head. "No idea."

"Maybe your dad's a State Alchemist," Maiyumi suggested, hoping to cheer the boy up.

"It's a possibility I suppose," Nick said although he sounded doubtful. "However I'm less concerned with who I am and more concerned about how I'm gonna escape this place."

"Don't even try it," Maiyumi said, her voice filled with concern. "It's impossible to escape from this place and if you try you'll be sorry. Believe me, I've seen enough other children try it to know what I'm talking about. No one ever makes it and those who attempt it are severely punished. It's impossible."

"Impossible huh?" Nick said thoughtfully. Nothing was impossible, merely improbable and Nick wasn't one to give up on something just because someone told him that it was impossible. "No such thing. I'm going to escape, mark my words."

Maiyumi looked scared but she held her tongue. Maybe this strange youth really could pull off what no one else had ever been able to. There was something decidedly different about him, no doubt about it. He wasn't like the other kids his age. He had a maturity that the others didn't possess.

_"He must have had a hard life," _Maiyumi thought to herself as she stared at Nick. _"I wonder what he must have endured to get that steely look in his golden eyes."_

* * *

Nick had been in Kai for nearly a week and his head injury had fully healed during this span of time. Now he was plotting how he would escape from the orphanage from hell. He had no intention of staying until his memory returned but he knew that his escape must be well thought out. He knew that he couldn't go off half-cocked or else he would most surely be caught. His escape would be perfectly planned and once he was free and had his memory back he would be sure to tell someone what life at the orphanage was really like. About how Mr. Faulkner changed when there was no one around to monitor his behavior.

During his incarceration at the orphanage, Maiyumi became Nick's constant companion. She seemed to have made it her self appointed mission to keep Nick out of trouble. Not that Nick minded her company. The other children at the orphanage had little use for him and it was nice to have someone to talk to, since everyone would think he was even weirder if they saw him talking to himself.

Mr. Faulkner continued to disdain the very sight of the boy and Nick did absolutely nothing to improve the man's opinion of him. He flat out refused to suck up to the man like the other children did. Quite the opposite. Nick exchanged angry words with the man every time they were near one another, which only served to get him into trouble.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Central, Col. Havoc was sitting in his office, doing absolutely nothing except avoiding the stack of paperwork on his desk, when he heard a knock on the door. Overjoyed to have a legitimate reason not to do his job the colonel smiled broadly as his gaze shifted toward the door. "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Second Lieutenant Jason Griffon. "Sorry to interrupt you sir but this package just arrived and I wasn't sure what to do with it."

Col. Havoc rolled his eyes. Why did he always get the 'brilliant' subordinates? "You give it to the person it's addressed to."

"That's the problem sir," Lt. Griffon said, completely unphased by the sarcasm that had been barely hidden in his superior's words. "Whoever sent it apparently didn't know who they were sending it to. The address just says State Military, Central HQ."

"Give it to me," Col. Havoc said.

Lt. Griffon handed a small box to Col. Havoc.

"Kai," Col. Havoc mumbled to himself as he examined the package. "That's where Fullmetal was going."

His curiosity aroused, Col. Havoc opened the package. He gasped when he pulled out the box's contents. A silver pocket watch with the emblem of the State emblazoned on the front.

"Nick," Col. Havoc gasped as he gazed down at the watch lying in the palm of his hand. There could be no doubt which State Alchemist the watch belonged to. Nick was the only State Alchemist that couldn't be accounted for and Havoc was relatively sure that if the watch belonged to any of the other State Alchemists they would have reported it missing.

_"Something bad's happened to him," _Havoc thought to himself. _"I know it."_

Col. Havoc jumped to his feet.

"Lt. Griffon you're dismissed." Grabbing the box that the watch had been delivered in Havoc left his office and ran down the hall toward the Fuhrer's office. He knocked on the door, a little harder than he'd intended to.

"Enter," a voice called out from within.

Havoc opened the door and entered the Fuhrer's office. Mustang was sitting behind his desk and Col. Havoc quickly walked over to him.

"What's the problem Colonel Havoc?" Mustang asked as Havoc came to a stop in front of his desk.

"I'd like your permission to travel to Kai, sir."

"What's in Kai?" Mustang wanted to know.

"My subordinate." Havoc placed the box on Mustang's desk. "This came in today's mail and this was inside it."

Havoc held up the silver pocket watch.

"Who sent it?' Mustang asked.

Havoc shook his head, unable to answer that particular question. "I don't know who sent it but it's strange. They didn't even know who to send it to. It was simply addressed to Central HQ. Lt. Griffon brought it to me because he didn't know what to do with it. But I do know that Fullmetal was definitely on his way to Kai."

"And why was he headed there?"

"To do research," Col. Havoc replied. "At least that's what he told me."

"Let's test that theory shall we?" Mustang stood up and walked toward the door.

Havoc followed him.

Mustang led the way out of his office, with Havoc following close on his heels and the two officers proceeded to walk down the hall, toward the exit.

"Where are we going sir?"

Mustang didn't reply, he simply kept walking. Only when they were out in the courtyard, behind Central HQ did he stop. That's when Havoc noticed a young girl standing beside a fountain.

"Kaori."

The girl looked up. "Yea Dad?"

"Col. Havoc and I would like a word."

The girl nodded and walked over to the spot where the two military officers stood. The fact that her dad and the colonel wanted to talk to her was slightly confusing however she hid her confusion well as she came to stand in front of them. "So what did you wanna talk to me about?"

"Nicholas," Mustang replied.

Kaori was instantly nervous. "What about him?"

"Why exactly did he travel to Kai?"

"To do research," Kaori replied quickly, perhaps too quickly.

Mustang's eyes narrowed. "Yea, that's what he said as well but I don't buy it. I want to know the real reason behind Fullmetal's trip to Kai and you know what it is. I'm sure of it."

Kaori hesitated, unsure of what she should do.

"Come on Kaori," Havoc pleaded. "I need to know why he went there and I need to know now. I received a State Alchemist's pocket watch in the mail today, from Kai, and I have every reason to believe that the watch belongs to Nicholas. So if you know something, please tell me."

Kaori gasped, a horrified expression on her face.

"What is it Kaori?" Mustang prompted.

"Nick made me promise that I wouldn't say anything but if he's in trouble I can't keep that promise." Kaori's voice was soft and there were tears glistening in her eyes. "I didn't want him to go but there was no talking him out of it. He'd heard a rumor that Hunter, the State Alchemist Killer, grew up in Kai and that he might have family there and since it was the only lead he had he decided that it was worth checking into."

"Well Col. Havoc I think you'd better get two tickets on the next train bound for Kai. It seems we've once again got an AWOL State Alchemist to track down."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Having begun to spend the vast majority of their time together Nick and Maiyumi were sitting alone at a table in the orphanage cafeteria, talking quietly and minding their own business, when they were approached by an extremely angry looking Mr. Faulkner.

_"I wonder what his problem is." _Nick thought to himself as he calmly watched the man's approach.

Mr. Faulkner came to a stop beside the table where the two kids sat and he glared down at them menacingly.

Maiyumi cowered at the sight of him, as did most of the orphanage's long term residents, but Nick held his ground. He refused to be intimidated by that tyrant of a man.

"I know you did it," Mr. Faulkner hissed, glaring angrily at the boy.

"Did what?" Nick asked in a bored voice.

The boy's indifferent tone only served as fuel for the fire that was Mr. Faulkner's anger. "The watch is gone. And I know you took it."

An evil glint appeared in Nick's eyes. "Watch? What watch?"

Mr. Faulkner's face turned bright red. "The watch I confiscated from you the day you arrived here."

"Oh that watch," Nick said, maintaining his indifferent tone. "Haven't seen it. Sorry. You know you really should be more careful with things that don't belong to you."

"Why you little. . ."

Mr. Faulkner made a move to grab Nick by the collar of his shirt but the boy was too quick for him. Nick jumped from his chair and sidestepped out of the way of the man's grasp.

The boy's sudden (and completely unexpected) move caused Mr. Faulkner to lose his balance. The man stumbled and, unable to recover his balance, he fell to the floor face first.

Nick smirked as he watched the man struggle to get to his feet. "Pitiful."

His face now so red that it perfectly matched the color of Nick's coat, Mr. Faulkner took a few steps toward the boy. Nick stood watching the man's approach, completely un-phased.

"Ooh," Nick said with a smirk. "Terrifying."

"You'll regret defying me boy," Mr. Faulkner said in a low, threatening tone.

Maiyumi had, up until this point, been cowering in her chair but she knew from past experience that Nick had pushed Mr. Faulkner too far and would soon suffer for it. And all because of something that he hadn't even done.

_"I can't let that happen," _the girl thought to herself. _"I won't let that happen."_

Summoning up all of her courage, Maiyumi jumped to her feet. "He didn't take the watch!"

Mr. Faulkner turned his attention away from Nick and turned it toward the girl. "How do you know that girl?"

"Because I did."

Nick gasped, totally shocked by the girl's declaration. He'd known, of course, that he wasn't the one who'd swiped the watch but he hadn't expected the real culprit to be that young girl. She seemed much too timid and way to scared of Faulkner to risk doing something like that.

"**YOU** took it?" Mr. Faulkner asked incredulously.

Maiyumi nodded. "I'd planned to send the watch and a letter explaining the situation to the military but my work was interrupted so I only had time to stuff the watch in a box and address it to Central. I mailed it to the headquarters of the State Military, hoping that maybe one of them would recognize it and come to Kai. Then Nick could find out who he is and get out of this Hellhole."

"How dare you," Mr. Faulkner hissed.

The man took a few steps toward the girl. His hand shot up, preparing to strike the girl but suddenly the boy ran over and grabbed her by the hand.

"Come on stupid," Nick said, pulling the girl out of the way of the man's blow. "Don't just stand there and let

him hit you."

Maiyumi allowed Nick to pull her along and the two kids ran from the cafeteria.

"Come back here you little brats!" Mr. Faulkner yelled, giving chase.

"Yea right," Nick said as he pulled Maiyumi along behind him. "Like that's gonna happen. Honestly, has anyone ever been stupid enough to obey a command like that?"

The two kids managed to make it outside, and under normal circumstances Nick would have been able to escape but the girl that he was pulling along behind slowed him considerably. Mr. Faulkner caught up with the two kids near the western boundary of the orphanage property and he grabbed Maiyumi by the arm. He pulled her toward him and Nick was forced to release his grip on her other arm so that it wouldn't be jerked out of socket.

Maiyumi screamed.

"Let her go," Nick demanded.

Mr. Faulkner smirked. "Like I'm gonna take orders from a little kid."

**"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!!"**

Nick instinctively clasped his hands together and dropped to his knees. The boy placed his hands to the ground and watched as a staff rose from the ground, amidst a spray of blue sparks.

Nick grabbed the staff and pointed it at Mr. Faulkner. "Okay, let's try this again. Let the girl go."

Mr. Faulkner's eyes widened but he made an attempt to act brave. "You won't do anything to me. You don't have the guts."

Nick's eyes narrowed and he raised the staff a little higher.

Fortunately for Mr. Faulkner, he wouldn't have to find out whether or not Nick had the guts to do anything with the staff that he held.

"What's going on here?" a stern voice called out from a short distance away.

The group turned toward the sound of the voice and they saw two men walking toward them, dressed in military blue.

Nick's eyes widened as the two men approached. Then they quickly narrowed as his gaze focused on Mustang. Recognition hit him like a ton of bricks. That was a face that he would never forget, no matter how traumatic the head injury. **"YOU!"**

"What are you doing Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.

"Well I was about to kick this guy's ass until the two of you showed up."

"Causing trouble as usual huh Chief?" Col. Havoc said, shaking his head in disapproval and yet unable to disguise the slight note of relief in his voice. "So tell me. Why didn't you check in? And why did you mail your watch to Central?"

"I didn't," Nick said. "That girl over there did. And I didn't check in because I forgot that I had to?"

Havoc's jaw dropped. "You forgot you had to?"

Nick nodded.

"How can you forget something like that?" Havoc demanded. "After all the time you've spent away from Central please don't tell me that's the best excuse you could come up with."

"It's the truth," Nick asserted.

"And I reiterate, how can you forget something like that?"

Nick hesitated, not wanting to go into the details because they involved the State Alchemist killer. But thankfully he didn't have to. For once Mr. Faulkner proved himself useful.

"Uh pardon the interruption," Mr. Faulkner said, releasing his grip on Maiyumi's arm. "But I think you should be arresting that boy, not talking to him."

"And why would we do that?" Mustang asked.

"The boy attacked me," Mr. Faulkner said, casting a triumphant gaze in Nick's direction.

Col. Havoc turned to face Nick. "Is that true Fullmetal? Did you attack him?"

"No," Nick said, turning to glare at the man, whom he heartily disliked. "I never laid a finger on him. And even if I had, he struck me five minutes after we met so if anything happened after that he instigated it."

"I see," Mustang said. "So do you wish to press charges?"

"You bet I do," Mr. Faulkner said.

"Not you," Mustang said shortly, glaring at the man who was wasting his valuable time with his stupidity. "Him."

Mr. Faulkner's jaw dropped.

Nick held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few moments and then shook his head. "No. But you should find someone else to run the orphanage. This man has no business caring for children."

Mustang nodded and turned to Mr. Faulkner. "Consider yourself lucky that Nick doesn't want to press charges. It's a serious offense to attack a State Alchemist."

"S. . .State Alchemist?" Mr. Faulkner stammered. "Him?"

Nick nodded. "And speaking of, Col. Havoc do you have my watch?"

Havoc nodded and pulled the watch from his pocket. "Here you go Chief. Now try to keep track of it this time." Havoc tossed the watch to the boy, who caught it and clipped the chain back to his belt loop. Then he placed the watch back in his pocket.

Maiyumi was standing a few feet away from the group, looking stunned, when Nick walked over to her.

"Hello Maiyumi," Nick said with a smile. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Maiyumi returned the boy's smile. "Pleased to meet you Nicholas. I'm glad you got your memories back."

"And it was all thanks to you. You took a big risk by helping me and I'm grateful. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Maiyumi shook her head. "No need. You've already done more than I could have hoped for. That is, if your military friends can really get rid of Faulkner like you asked them to."

"Oh I assure you, they can." Nick pointed at Mustang. "He may not look like it and he definitely doesn't act like it but this guy is the Fuhrer."

Maiyumi's eyes widened. "Fuhrer Mustang?"

Mustang nodded. "I can assure you that this man will trouble you no longer."

"Thank you sir."

Mustang smiled at the girl. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you. Had it not been for you I would still be short one State Alchemist. Thank you."

Nick smirked. "Ahhh isn't that sweet? He really does care."

"Of course I care," Mustang said. "It would be a real pain in the ass to train a replacement for you."

"That was harsh," Nick said.

"Col. Havoc."

"Yes sir?"

"Stay here and keep an eye on things while I find someone around here that's fit to run the orphanage."

Col. Havoc saluted.

"You can't do this," Mr. Faulkner said angrily.

Mustang turned toward the man and smirked. "Think not? You have two choices. You can resign and leave of your own free will or I can have you arrested for assault on a State Alchemist. Your choice. However I can assure you that the accommodations in State Prison are worse than the ones you've forced upon these children. Much worse. So choose wisely."

Mr. Faulkner balled his fists and for a moment it looked as though he planned to fight Mustang. Then he abruptly lowered his hands, growled low in his throat and stalked off.

"Aw," Nick whined, a disappointed expression appearing on his face. "I was hoping he'd put up a fight. I wanted to see the Flame Alchemist in action."

"Behave yourself Fullmetal," Col. Havoc said reproachfully, although to be completely honest he'd wanted to see his commanding officer in action as well. It had been quite some time since Mustang had used his alchemy in battle.

"Alright Col. Havoc you're in charge until I return." And with that Mustang turned and walked away, leaving Col. Havoc with twenty-five children and Nick, who was worse than all the others combined.

"Alright kids," Col. Havoc said, turning to the children who'd all emerged from the orphanage cafeteria to see who their visitor was. "All I ask is that you don't burn the place down before Fuhrer Mustang comes back with Faulkner's replacement."

"Is that all?" Nick asked.

"You be quiet," Col. Havoc said, turning to glare at his young subordinate. "I can still have you court-martialed for going AWOL."

"But I wasn't AWOL," Nick pointed out. "You gave me permission to travel to Kai."

Col. Havoc nodded. "Okay, I'll give you that one. But I could court-martial you for lying to your superior."

"Huh?"

"I know that you came to Kai in search of the State Alchemist Killer or his relatives, not to do research as you claimed when you made your request for permission for this trip."

"Kaori," Nick said. "I can't believe she told you. I made her promise not to."

"You shouldn't blame her," Col. Havoc said. "We'd just received your pocket watch in the mail and she knew who you were after and she was worried. She thought she was doing you a favor."

"And in a way I suppose she was," Nick was forced to admit. "If Mustang hadn't showed up I might never have regained my memories. So I suppose I owe her one." Nick held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few moments. "Hey Colonel."

"What is it now Fullmetal?"

"Promise that you won't court-martial me and I'll tell you an interesting bit of information that I picked up before my unfortunate head injury and subsequent incarceration in this hellhole."

"And what might that be?" Col. Havoc asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Hunter does have some connection with this town," Nick informed his superior.

"And how exactly do you know this?"

"He was here," Nick said.

"You saw him?" Havoc asked.

Nick rubbed his head, where the rock had struck him. "Saw him, felt him. Oh yea, I got up close and personal."

"Tell me what happened," Col. Havoc ordered.

Nick took a deep breath.

"It was right after I got off the train," Nick said, concentrating on the memories that were still somewhat fuzzy. "I was walking down the road, toward the village, when he just showed up. He once again stated that he was determined to kill me and we fought. He used his alchemy, and although I managed to escape the brunt of the blast, I was struck in the head by a rock that was hurled by the force of the blast. The blow must have knocked me unconscious and when I awoke I was in the home of an elderly couple and I couldn't remember who I was or why I was in this town."

"So why didn't he finish you off while you were unconscious?"

"My guess is that Tom Holt and his wife came along before he had the chance," Nick said. "Hunter must have heard them and ran away."

Col. Havoc shook his head, staring in amazement at his young subordinate. "You really must have a lucky streak."

Nick rolled his eyes, thinking about all that he'd endured since he arrived in Kai. "Oh yea, I'm the luckiest person alive."

"One of them anyway," Col. Havoc said, choosing to ignore the sarcasm in the boy's voice. "Think about it kid. You've now survived two run-ins with the State Alchemist Killer."

"Have it your way," Nick said, choosing to give up the argument. Little did Havoc know he had survived more than two encounters with Hunter, however he wasn't about to tell that to his superior. That would be almost like asking to be court-martialed.

* * *

About an hour later Mustang returned to the orphanage, and he was followed by an older man. As the two approached, Nick recognized the man who was following Mustang. It was Tom Holt, the man who'd inadvertently saved him from Hunter's wrath. Nick was happy about the choice that Mustang had made. Holt had been kind to him and had probably saved his life so Nick knew that the man would take care of the orphans far better than that other jerk.

"Hello there young man," Mr. Holt said as he and Mustang came to a stop in front of Col. Havoc and Nick. "Never would have pictured you as a State Alchemist. But I'm happy that you've regained your memory."

"Thank you," Nick said quietly.

"Children," Mustang said, instantly gaining the attention of the group of children that were gathered outside the orphanage. "This is Mr. Holt and he has agreed to assume responsibility for the orphanage. I expect for you to show him the respect he's due."

"Yes sir," the group of children chorused.

"Very good," Mustang said. Then he turned back to Mr. Holt. "I'll come back in a few months to check up and see how things are going."

Mr. Holt nodded. "Thank you Fuhrer Mustang."

Mustang nodded and then turned to face his two subordinates. "Come on. Let's head back to Central."

Col. Havoc and Nick both nodded and turned to follow Mustang to the train station.

The group returned to Central and things returned to normal. Or at least as normal as it was possible for them to get.

A/N - and thus ends another chapter. Poor Nick, he has the same lousy luck that his father had. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and share your thoughts. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	20. Ed's Confession

**Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter Twenty - Ed's Confession**

Nick was alone in the First Branch of the National Library, searching for information on the legendary Philosopher's Stone, when he heard the door open. Since State Alchemists were the only ones with access to the First Branch, Nick was instantly curious.

The boy glanced up when he heard the sound of footsteps coming toward him. Nick was thoroughly shocked when he saw who it was that was walking toward the table where he sat. "What are you doing here Dad?" Nick asked. "And for that matter, how did you gain access? I thought only State Alchemists were allowed inside the First Branch."

"Normally that's true," Ed replied as he sat down beside his son. "However since I'm a former State Alchemist and since I know the librarian, she made an exception."

"So back to my initial question. Why are you here?"

Ed sighed. "I finally managed to coerce your Uncle Al into telling me what he knew about the reasons you had for joining the State Military. And once I had that information I knew that I had to come and talk to you."

"Save it. I'm not quitting the military and I'm not coming home until I've finished what I started."

"I know," Ed said, completely shocking his son. "I didn't come to order you to come home. I came to give you some information that may prove useful in your search for the homunculus."

Nick's eyes widened in surprise.

Ed gazed around at the stack of books that were on the table where Nick sat and a knowing look appeared in his eyes. "So you've met others, haven't you?"

"Others?" Nick was confused.

"Other homunculi," Ed clarified. "The strange people who keep popping up during your missions and attempting to guide you, and others like you, toward the Philosopher's Stone."

"How did you know about that?" Nick asked.

"Because the same thing happened to me when I was a State Alchemist," Ed replied. "And although I initially joined the State Military with a different objective I eventually ended up tracking the homunculi, just like you."

"You were tracking homunculi?" Nick asked, his eyes wide.

Ed nodded.

"Why would you do that?"

Ed took a deep breath and gazed sadly at his son. He had been trying to avoid telling his son about his mistakes and yet he knew that it was way past time that he did. "I did it because I had created one of them, the assistant of the apparent leader of the group of homunculi who were after the Philosopher's Stone so that they could use it to become human."

Nick gasped. "**YOU** created a homunculus?"

Ed nodded. "Your Uncle Al and I attempted to resurrect our mother when we were young and the result was your uncle lost his body, although we eventually managed to get that back, I lost an arm and a leg and a homunculus was born."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It wasn't something I thought you should know," Ed said. "I never thought you'd be placed in a similar situation and even when you began studying alchemy I didn't think the knowledge of what Al and I had done would benefit you in any way."

"So that explains why I didn't know about it during my childhood," Nick said. "But you didn't tell me after Harmony's death, not even after I failed to resurrect her."

"And for that I will always feel guilty. I should have told you about my mistake when I noticed that you blamed yourself for Harmony's death, yet I did not. And then you attempted human transmutation and still I didn't tell you, which was a mistake. I realize that now but I still wanted to shelter you from the knowledge of what you had created."

"And now what I created, and others like it, are after me because they want me to create the Philosopher's Stone."

"Correct," Ed said. "And I feel compelled to warn you; do not attempt to create the Stone."

"Why not? There are so many things that I could do, if only I could forge a Stone. With the Philosopher's Stone you can bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange."

"No, you can't." Ed told the boy. "That is the true myth of the Philosopher's Stone. There is an exchange for the powers of the Stone and it's too great a price to pay. And it stems from the process used to make the Stone."

Nick stared at his father expectantly.

"The Philosopher's Stone can only be created by using live people, in mass numbers."

Nick gasped. "And I was actually looking for a way to create the Stone. I could have. . ."

The boy was horrified at the thought of what he had almost done.

Ed shook his head. "No you couldn't. No matter how you found out, I'm confident that once you realized what the Stone was made of you would have ceased all efforts to forge it."

"So all the research I've done concerning the Stone was a waste of time." Nick bowed his head. "Well that's depressing. That means I'm no closer to my goal than I was the day I joined the military. I put up with all of their shit for nothing. ARRR!"

Just the thought of what he'd endured at the hands of the military was, even under normal circumstances, enough to set him off. And the fact that he'd put up with it for no reason really set his blood boiling.

"I can't help you find the homunculi," Ed said with a feeling of extreme sympathy for what his son was enduring. "But once you find them you hold the key to destroying one of them already."

"I do?"

Ed nodded. "Do you still have the locket that Aiya gave you after you joined the military?"

"Yea." Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin gold chain, with a heart shaped locket hanging from it. _"Although what this has to do with the homunculi is beyond me."_

"Good," Ed said. "Homunculi are weak against anything connected with the person whose failed resurrection gave them birth. And since that locket belonged to Harmony and contains a lock of her hair, it will be a powerful weapon against the homunculus that you created. All you have to do is confront it with the locket and it will become immobile."

Nick gazed down at the small locket that he held in his hand. "I can use this to defeat the homunculus?"

"Yes. Since homunculi are merely recreations of once living people they are weak against any part of the body of the person whose failed resurrection gave them birth. And the locket that Aiya gave you contains a lock of Harmony's hair. Unfortunately, in order to have the same power over the other homunculi, you'll have to find out who attempted to bring them back to life and get an item from their former bodies. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"Don't say that," Nick said, placing the locket back in his pocket. "You've been a tremendous help. Thanks."

Ed smiled. "On the bright side, you don't have to have that power in order to destroy them. There is an array designed to seal a homunculus and I can show you how to draw it. The problem with that is that in order to seal them you have to somehow get the homunculus to stand still on top of the array long enough to activate it."

"Show me," Nick said, excited about the prospect of having a weapon that he could use against the homunculi. He rummaged through his research material until he finally found a blank sheet of paper. Nick offered the paper and a pencil to his dad.

Ed nodded, accepting the paper and pencil that Nick offered to him.

"Now this is a fairly complicated array," Ed told his son as he drew. "However you're such a prodigy that it really won't make any difference. Just make sure that you don't mess it up because that could prove to be a very costly mistake."

"Right," Nick said, nodding his head.

A/N - and now Nick knows the truth. Hope you enjoyed this little chapter. til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	21. The Ties That Bind

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter Twenty-One - The Ties That Bind

It had been several months since Nick's last visit to Central and for once he could honestly say that he actually missed the place. He'd spent the last few months traveling from city to city, searching for clues as to the whereabouts of the homunculi and Hunter but although he hadn't actually returned to Central, he'd kept in touch with his commanding officer, Col. Havoc, via telephone calls and letters. His mission had come to a standstill however and since he didn't have any leads the young boy decided that now was as good a time as any to take a trip back to home base.

When Nick walked off the train at the station in Central he was surprised to see Kaori standing amongst the crowd. Despite himself Nick smiled and walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"

Kaori returned his smile. "I bugged Col. Havoc mercilessly until he told me when you were coming home. And when I found out that it was today, I had to come and see you."

Nick shook his head and chuckled, thinking about how much Kaori must have bothered Col. Havoc in order to get the information that she sought. "Poor Havoc. So even when I'm not around I cause him trouble. No wonder he's never happy to see me."

"That's okay. You can blame me for this particular irritation. And the great thing is, no matter how angry I make him, he won't do anything."

"Oh the advantages of being Mustang's daughter."

Kaori smiled again and then, without warning, she threw her arms around Nick.

Nick returned her embrace for a couple of seconds before he abruptly pulled away, as if he'd suddenly realized what he was doing. "We'd better watch it. If word of this reaches Mustang, court-martial will be the least of my worries."

"You're overreacting."

"I don't think so," Nick said, gazing around the station. He didn't see anyone dressed in military blue and he heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps he would get to live another day after all. His life wasn't super or anything but he wasn't ready to die just yet. And especially not like that.

"You worry too much," Kaori told him.

Nick shrugged.

"So, where to?" Kaori asked. "I know you've already hung out at the train station longer than you wanted to."

"Well," Nick said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "First I have to check in with Col. Havoc. But after that, assuming he doesn't have any new jobs for me, I'm open to suggestions."

"Okay then. I'll walk with you to Central HQ and after your meeting with the Colonel we'll take it from there."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

So Nick and Kaori left the train station and walked the short distance to the military headquarters. Once they arrived Kaori walked over to a large tree and sat down beneath it. "I'll wait here until you're finished with your meeting."

"Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Kaori nodded and leaned up against the tree.

Nick walked across the lawn, entered HQ and made his way to Col. Havoc's office. As he walked down the hallway, Nick ran into his part time body guard.

Lt. Griffon stopped and saluted. "Welcome back to Central, Fullmetal sir."

Nick rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to salute me every time you see me? I don't give a damn about rank. **I **don't even show respect to **MY** superiors, so I have no right to expect any one to show respect to me."

Lt. Griffon smiled and dropped his hand to his side. "Sorry sir, I keep forgetting."

Nick groaned. "You're hopeless."

"Pretty much," Lt. Griffon said, chuckling softly to himself.

"So, is Col. Havoc around?"

Lt. Griffon nodded. "The last time I saw him he was sitting in his office staring at a stack of paperwork as though he were hoping that it would somehow miraculously do its self."

A roguish grin spread across the boy's face as he thought about his superior. "Yea, that's a favorite past time of his. Guess I'll go and give him a legitimate excuse to ignore his paperwork."

"He'll be thrilled."

"I know. It'll be one of the few times he's actually happy to see me."

Waving over his shoulder to the lieutenant Nick continued his journey to his commanding officer's office and, once he reached the door, he knocked on it lightly. Then he stepped back and waited for an invitation to enter.

"Come in," a voice called out from within seconds after Nick had announced his arrival.

Nick opened the door and entered the office.

"Welcome back Fullmetal," Col. Havoc said, happily pushing aside his paperwork as the boy walked across his office.

Nick sat down in the chair in front of Col. Havoc's desk. "You know, surprisingly enough I'm actually glad to be back."

"So Chief," the colonel said, getting down to business. "Anything to report?"

Nick shook his head. "I didn't find out anything substantial about the Philosopher's Stone **OR** the strange people seeking to create it."

Col. Havoc sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You know Chief, you're lucky that you inadvertently catch enough bad guys to earn your keep around here or else. . ."

"Don't start that," Nick warned, casting an irritated look in the colonel's direction. "I make your job a hell of a lot easier and you know it."

Col. Havoc chuckled but Nick noticed that he didn't deny that statement.

"So," Nick said, a smirk appearing on his face due to Havoc's silence. "Do you have any missions for me?"

Col. Havoc looked over at the boy, surprised. "Another mission? You just got back and you've been gone for a month. Do you **WANT** another mission so soon?"

"Not particularly," Nick replied honestly. "But since when does it matter what I want?"

"Get out of here," Col. Havoc ordered (though not in an angry tone). "I don't want to see you anywhere near here for the next three days."

Nick stood up. "You're the boss. But you know where to find me if you change your mind."

Col. Havoc nodded and watched as the boy left the office. Despite the fact that the kid was completely irreverent he really did make things more interesting and Havoc would be very bored, and way busier, without him around. "He really is a good kid."

Not that he'd ever tell Nick that of course.

His business with Col. Havoc complete, Nick left HQ and rejoined Kaori out in the courtyard. She gazed at him as he walked toward her, as though trying to gauge what had transpired by the expression on his face. Nick knew that was what she was doing and he forced his features into his best poker face.

"Good news or bad news?" Kaori asked as he came to stand beside her. Having tried to read his emotions and failed she had to resort to asking the question.

"He doesn't wanna see me anywhere near here for three days."

Kaori smiled and took Nick's arm. "Good news."

Nick freed his arm, causing Kaori to roll her eyes. "So now what?"

"We could go to the park," Kaori suggested. "Unless, of course, you think my dad might get mad if he catches us there."

Not missing the slight note of frustration in her voice Nick said, "I saw Mustang skulking around HQ so I think we should be safe."

"You're hopeless," Kaori said with a sigh.

"Come on," Nick said, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.

Kaori smiled at the small gesture. He hadn't held her hand for long but for now it was enough. _"One day he'll get over this completely unfounded fear of my dad."_

Nick and Kaori walked to the park and casually strolled down the shady, tree-lined paths. Every so often Kaori would glance over at Nick and smile softly. She didn't say anything to him, she just smiled.

After about the fifth time she did this, Nick looked at her questioningly. "What is up with that?"

"What?" Kaori asked innocently.

"You know what," Nick said, his gaze intense. "You keep looking over here and smiling. So what exactly do you find so amusing?"

Kaori shook her head. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," Nick said.

"I'm just happy that you're back, that's all." Kaori turned to face him, her expression sincere. "I've really missed you."

Nick blushed, the statement taking him by surprise.

Kaori gazed down, her cheeks slightly red as well. "Nick," she said after a slightly embarrassing pause in the conversation. "Do you ever wish you hadn't left home?"

Nick thought about the question for a few minutes before finally answering. "I won't lie to you, sometimes I do wish that I hadn't left home. When I left I hurt the people I love most in the world but at the same time I'm confident that I made the right choice. I have to do this. For me. . .and for them."

"But don't you miss your family?" Kaori asked.

"Of course I miss them. But it's not like I never get to see them."

"I guess," Kaori said. "But I think if I had a sibling I'd want to be near them all the time."

Nick smiled. "That's a misconception that stems from being an only child."

Kaori made a face.

"Don't get me wrong," Nick said quickly, noticing the look that she was giving him. "I love my sister and before Harmony died the three of us used to have loads of fun together. But there were fights, lots of them. Trust me when I say siblings shouldn't be around each other all the time. It's not a good idea."

It was subtle but Kaori picked up on the change in Nick's voice when he'd mentioned his dead sister. She also noticed the sad, faraway look in his golden eyes. Hoping that talking about it might help him in some small way, Kaori placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Tell me about your sisters Nick."

Nick's gaze went to the ground and for a moment it looked as though he was going to ignore Kaori's request. But then he spoke in a quiet voice. "Aiya and Harmony were twins, born five and a half years after me. Both girls had pale blonde hair and large, expressive blue eyes. It was their eyes that always got to me and they could get anything they wanted from me with a mere look. As a matter of fact, Aiya still can. The three of us were almost always together, playing one game or another in the open meadows that surrounded our house. It wasn't always fun, we fought same as any siblings, but I loved them and they looked up to me."

Kaori watched Nick's facial expression turn dark.

"That's why it was so devastating when Harmony died. I'm the one who led her and Aiya to the cave that claimed her life. If it hadn't been for me they never would have went there and Harmony would still be alive. It's my fault she's dead."

A solitary tear slid down the boy's cheek.

In tears herself, Kaori wrapped her arms around Nick and pulled him into a tight embrace. "It wasn't your fault Nicholas. These kind of things are called accidents for a reason. They're nobody's fault."

Nick allowed Kaori to hold him for a few minutes and then he slowly pulled away. The tears were gone and his eyes were bright. "I haven't spoken of the accident in years and the fact that I just shared those memories with you now should show you a measure of the feelings I have for you. Even if I don't always show them."

Kaori smiled as she thought about his words. It really must have been difficult for him to share such a painful memory with her and yet he had. That meant a lot to her and she found herself able to forgive him for his minor flaws.

"So," Nick said, interrupting Kaori's thoughts. "You've heard plenty of stories about my childhood. How about, for a change, you tell me about yours?"

"My childhood?" Kaori said. "My childhood was boring."

Nick smirked. "That won't get you out of it. Now tell."

Kaori sighed. "Fine. I grew up in Central with my mom and dad, both of whom you've met. Dad was very busy with the military and he spent a lot of time away from home, dealing with one thing or another for the military. I think that's one of the reasons why Mom and I became so close."

Kaori had tried to keep her tone devoid of emotion but Nick was extremely perceptive and he picked up the slight note of loneliness. Nick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Kaori placed her hand on top of his and smiled. "There's no need for you to feel sorry for me Nicholas. It wasn't that bad, don't get me wrong. Dad and I did spend time together. He's the one who taught me alchemy. That was our special time together since Mom's not an alchemist. It was just me and him."

Nick had a hard time picturing Mustang as the doting daddy but despite that difficulty he was sure, to Kaori, he had been.

"So who taught you alchemy Nick?" Kaori wanted to know.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Nick's face. "My dad taught me when I was really young and then, not long after my eighth birthday, he took me to meet his old teacher Izumi who continued my training."

Kaori smiled. She had known he'd be modest with his reply when asked that question. "Yea but how did you begin?"

Nick looked slightly sheepish. "I taught myself the basics by reading some of my dad's books but it was no big deal."

Kaori shook her head. She thought it was a **VERY **big deal. "You were four Nick and you don't think it's a big deal."

Nick's eyes widened. That was something that he'd never told anyone. "How did you know that?"

Kaori smiled. "When you first became a State Alchemist your mom and dad spent a few days in Central, with my family. Your mother told us the story at dinner that first night."

Nick blushed.

"Don't be embarrassed about it Nick. You should be proud of your talent."

"Hmm," Nick said thoughtfully. "So if you already knew then why did you ask?"

Kaori smiled. "It was a test."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "A test?"

Kaori nodded. "Uh huh. I asked that question to test your arrogance level."

Nick smirked. "So did I pass or fail?"

"You passed," Kaori said and watched as a satisfied grin appeared on the boy's face. "But you'll be reevaluated from time to time."

"And why is that?" Nick wanted to know.

"Because I saw that self satisfied smirk," Kaori said.

"Oh."

"Well," Kaori said, gazing around. "We've certainly got our exercise for the day. This is the fourth lap we've made around the park."

Nick made a face. "I've been boring you so much you've kept count of how many times we've walked past that tree? That's sad."

Kaori punched him in the ribs. "Oh shut up."

Nick started laughing and, after a few moments, Kaori joined in.

"You're hopeless you know that?" Kaori said through her laughter.

"I've been told that a few times," Nick said. "I've actually begun to take it as a compliment."

"You're weird."

"Thank you," Nick said with a smile. "I take that as a compliment as well."

Kaori shook her head. "Of course you do."'

A/N - the end of another chapter and Nick and Kaori are bonding. Isn't that sweet? Ed and Mustang are gonna have simultaneous strokes when they find out. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	22. Nick's Stalker

**Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Nick's Stalker**

Nick had been traveling to one small village after another, searching for clues, for several weeks but he hadn't discovered any leads. This fact depressed the boy immensely; he'd really hoped that his luck might turn around however in hind sight decided that he should have known better. He'd never been the lucky type.

As he walked down a dirt road, toward yet another small village, Nick heard what sounded like a girl screaming. The noise was coming from some distance off and there was a slight echo.

"What the hell was that?" Nick turned toward the direction the scream had come from. He saw some cliffs but no sign of a person. He scanned the area, searching for whoever had screamed. Suddenly he heard the scream again, yet softer this time. Deciding to check it out Nick dashed off toward the scream.

Nick ran toward the cliff and once he reached the ledge he gazed down and saw a young girl at the bottom. The girl was rubbing her ankle and Nick guessed that she must have fallen down the ledge.

Deciding that he should see if the girl needed help, Nick began to make his way down the cliff. The girl looked up when Nick jumped to the ground beside her and her eyes held a frightened expression.

"Don't be afraid," Nick said softly, sensing the girl's fear. "I came to help."

Some of the girl's fear was relieved by that statement and she gave the boy a tentative smile.

"So," Nick said, kneeling at the girl's side. "What happened? How did you end up in a place like this?"

"I was climbing along the ledge," the girl replied quietly. "Looking for flowers, when I lost my footing and slid down here."

"I see," Nick said. "Are you injured in any way?"

The girl nodded slowly and absently rubbed her left ankle, which appeared to be slightly swollen. "I twisted my ankle but it's no big deal."

As though to illustrate her point, the girl attempted to stand up but as soon as she placed weight on her left ankle it buckled and she fell. Nick caught the girl before she hit the ground and he steadied her by placing her arm around his shoulder.

"Easy. Don't push yourself."

At that moment the two kids heard the sound of distant thunder.

Nick gazed up at the dark clouds that hung low in the sky. _"This isn't good. It looks like a pretty bad storm is moving this way. We need to get to shelter before it gets here."_

Nick bent down low. "Climb onto my back."

"What?"

"We have to get to the village before the storm reaches it," Nick said, his gaze once again turning toward the sky. "And since you can't walk, this is the only way. So climb on."

A slightly red tint appeared on the girl's cheeks but she obeyed Nick's command and climbed onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, for support.

"Now," Nick gazed around the cliff, looking for a path that he could follow back up to the road but there wasn't one. "How to do this? Guess we do it the hard way."

Nick walked over to the cliff and began to climb. He made his way slowly up the cliff, searching carefully for secure hand and foot holds as he went. Beads of sweat appeared on his face as he climbed up the side of the cliff.

_"This is hard work," _Nick thought to himself as he climbed.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked after awhile.

"I'm fine," Nick said, slightly out of breath from the exertion of the climb. "Just a little farther to go."

"I'm really sorry about this," the girl said.

"It's no big deal," Nick said. "Don't worry about it."

Nick finally managed to reach the top of the cliff and once there he stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Nick said. "Now if you will give me directions then I'll take you home."

"I live on the outskirts of the village," the girl told him. "But you don't have to carry me all the way there. I can manage on my own."

Nick scoffed at that remark. "Yea right. You can't even stand up on your own so what makes you think you can walk all the way to the village? That's just stupid."

And with that Nick once again began to walk toward the nearby village.

"This is so wrong," the girl moaned as they moved toward the village. "It's embarrassing to be carried by someone who's smaller than me."

Nick's eyes narrowed and he growled low in his throat. "I **CAN** drop you."

Sensing that she'd said something she shouldn't have, the girl quickly apologized. "Sorry. I didn't mean anything by that, I swear."

"Hmph."

The two kids soon reached the edge of the village and when they were close the girl pointed out a small brick house. "That's where I live."

Nick nodded and walked toward the house that she'd pointed out to him. When he reached the house he knocked lightly on the door. Then he stepped back and waited.

Soon the door opened and a man stepped out. "Kaiya, what happened?"

"I fell down the cliff daddy," the girl said. "And twisted my ankle. But luckily this boy came along and helped me."

The man gave Nick a warm smile as he took his daughter into his arms. "Thank you very much young man. Why don't you come inside? It looks like there's a storm heading this way."

Nick nodded. "Thank you very much sir."

Nick followed the man inside the house and down the hall to a small living room.

"Have a seat," the man said, gesturing toward the sofa. He placed his daughter Kaiya down on one end of the sofa and Nick sat down on the other end. "I'll be back in a few minutes." And with that the man left the room.

The man returned about ten minutes later carrying a tray in his hands. He placed the tray down on the coffee table, picked up a cup and offered it to Nick. "Tea?"

Nick took the cup that the man offered him and smiled. "Thank you."

The man handed a cup to his daughter, took one for himself, and sat down in a chair across from the sofa on which the two kids sat. "Don't mention it. Consider it a small token of gratitude for helping my daughter. By the way, my name's Troy and this is my daughter Kaiya."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Nicholas. Nicholas Elric."

"Well Nicholas," Troy said, offering the boy a warm smile. "I think you should spend the night with us, what with the storm and all." A clap of thunder accompanied that statement.

"Thanks for the offer," Nick said, listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. "I think I'll take you up on it."

"Wonderful," Troy said.

* * *

Nick awoke early the next morning with the feeling of the warm sun shining on his face. He dressed quickly and descended the stairs, searching for the kind people who had put him up for the night. He found his host Troy and the man's wife in the kitchen.

"Good morning," Nick said as he entered the room.

"Good morning," Troy and his wife Elena said in unison.

"Did you sleep alright?" Troy asked.

"Very well thanks," Nick said. "I want to thank you again for your hospitality, but I really should be going."

"So soon?" Elena asked. "Won't you at least stay for breakfast?"

"No thank you," Nick said. "I really have to be going. I should probably have left last night but the storm was so rough that I didn't want to. Thank you again for letting me stay here."

"You're welcome," Troy said, offering the boy a friendly smile. "Take care of yourself now."

Nick nodded. "Goodbye."

Troy and Elena waved as the young boy turned and walked away.

Nick left Troy and Elena's house and wandered around the village for awhile. As he roamed around Nick began to get the feeling that he was being watched. Nick turned around quickly only to find that he was alone in the deserted street.

"Must be imagining things," Nick muttered, continuing on his way.

Nick spent the day roaming around the village, questioning random people about Hunter or the homunculi. Unfortunately none of the villagers were able to give him any new leads.

When dusk began to fall, Nick walked to the outskirts of the village, to an open meadow. He knew that he could probably have imposed upon Troy and Elena's hospitality again but it was a clear night so he decided to sleep under the stars. Nick still had the feeling that someone was watching him and as he set about setting up his small campsite he saw the shadow of someone sneaking between a couple of trees.

"What the hell was that?" Nick wondered.

Leaving his things lying where they were, Nick slipped over to the trees. The boy quickly made his way over to the group of trees and he made it just in time to catch a man hiding in the shadows.

"Hey!"

The man froze and slowly turned to face the boy.

Nick was surprised by what he saw when the man turned to face him. "Uncle Al!"

The man smiled. "Hi Nick."

Nick's eyes narrowed and a tick mark appeared on his forehead**. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"**

Al held up his hands. "Calm down Nick."

Nick clenched his hands into fists. "**DON'T** tell me to calm down. You shouldn't be here."

"Come on Nick," Al said in a placating voice. "Why are you so upset that I came? You and I used to be really close and you came to me for everything, even things you wouldn't tell your dad."

That statement was true enough Nick thought to himself. That fact had been proven on the day that his little sister Harmony had died.

(It had been several hours since Harmony's accident and Nick was finding it harder and harder to cope with what had happened that morning. Now unable to look his parents in the eyes, Nick waited until her was alone and slipped off. The boy hurried through the mountain pass trail, making his way to his uncle's house.

It took awhile but Nick finally made it to his uncle's house. He knocked on the door and waited but received no answer. He knocked on the door and waited but received no answer. The boy knocked again but once again he received no answer.

Sighing Nick sank down on the top step and leaned up against the door. He drew his knees up against his body, wrapped his arms around them, and lay his head upon his arms.

Alphonse Elric had been away from home, doing errands for a few hours, and when he returned home he was surprised to find his young nephew, sitting huddled in front of his door, his knees drawn up against his body and his head down.

"Nicholas," Al called out softly.

The boy slowly raised his head and gazed up at his uncle. Al saw that there were tears streaming down the boy's face. That instantly worried him because his nephew had always been a fairly stoic child.

Al bent down to the boy's level. "What are you doing here Nicholas? Does your dad know you came?"

Nick shook his head slowly.

"Nicholas! You shouldn't have came here without telling someone." Al's eyes widened. "Your dad will be worried sick. You have to go home."

Nick shook his head quickly and then spoke for the first time. "No! I. . .I can't go home."

"Why not Nicholas?"

"I've done something terrible," Nick said softly, tears streaming down his face.

Al offered his hand to his young nephew and pulled the boy to his feet. "What could you possibly have done that is that bad?"

Nick refused to answer as his uncle led him into the house.

Al gazed sadly at his nephew, wondering what was torturing the boy. With his intensive gaze he noticed that the boy looked exhausted, both emotionally and physically. He placed his hand on the young boy's shoulder. "I think you need some rest Nicholas. Come with me."

Nick followed his uncle without protest and Al led the boy to a spare bedroom that was located in the back of the house.

"Into bed kiddo," Al ordered in a kind voice.

Nick pulled off his shoes, climbed into bed and crawled under the covers, pulling them up around his neck. The boy closed his eyes and let out a quivering sigh.

"I'll be in the living room if you need anything kiddo."

"Okay," Nick said softly.

Al walked across the room, pulled the curtains closed and then left the room, closing the door softly as he went. Al went back into the living room and immediately walked over to the phone. He quickly dialed his brother's number and listened as the phone rang.

After several rings, and just as Al was about to give up, someone answered the phone.

"Hello?"

Al recognized his brother's voice instantly and he noticed that it was shaky, just as Nick's had been. "Brother, are you okay?"

"Al," Ed said, his voice definitely shaky. "I meant to call you but there are so many things going on. There was an accident this morning."

The tone of Ed's voice alarmed Al. "What happened?"

"The children went to those old caves outside of Resembool," Ed explained with difficulty. "Harmony was standing on a ledge when the ledge gave way. Harmony fell and. . .she didn't survive."

Al gasped. "Oh no! Ed I'm so sorry." He paused. "That must be why Nick's so distraught."

"You've seen Nicholas?" Ed asked.

"He's here Brother," Al told him. "I found him huddled on my doorstep when I arrived home today. That's why I called you in the first place."

"I was so preoccupied that I didn't even notice that he was gone."

"Brother," Al said quietly. "He blames himself for what happened."

"Did he tell you that?" Ed wanted to know.

"Not exactly," Al said. "He told me that he'd done something terrible but he refused to tell me what it was."

"Oh no," Ed said, a slight note of guilt evident in his voice. "I was afraid that might happen. I should have spent some time with him but. . . Al, I'll be there to pick him up as soon as I can."

"I don't think that's a good idea Brother," Al said in a thoughtful voice. "He needs a little time to work this out for himself. Why don't you let him stay here with me for awhile?"

"Okay Al. If you think that will help. I trust your judgment." Ed took a deep breath. "The service is tomorrow evening at six. We're burying her next to Mom."

"Nick and I will be there," Al said. "Take care Brother."

"You too Al," Ed said.

Al hung up the phone and walked down the hall, back to the spare bedroom. Now that he knew what had happened he felt the urgent need to check on his young nephew.

When he reached the room Al quietly opened the door and peered into the room. Nick appeared to have fallen asleep but it wasn't a deep sleep and tears continued to slide down the boy's face.

Al walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on Nick's back and rubbed it in a comforting manner. As he massaged Nick's back, tears formed in Al's eyes. His niece was dead, his nephew blamed himself for that death and his brother had suffered yet another terrible loss. He couldn't believe how much suffering his family was being forced to endure.

_"When will it stop?" _he thought to himself.

Al continued to rub his young nephew's back as the tears slid down his own face, but his hand was knocked away when the boy suddenly gasped and sat up quickly.

Nick's breathing was rapid and his eyes were wide and frightened as he gazed around the room wildly.

Al placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's alright Nicholas, it was just a bad dream."

"Harmony. . ." Nick choked out, his golden eyes filling with fresh tears.

Al pulled the boy into his arms and held him tight. He stroked Nick's hair soothingly. "It wasn't your fault Nicholas. You didn't cause it to happen."

Nick pulled away from his uncle and stared at him. "You know?"

Al nodded. "I called your dad as soon as you fell asleep, to tell him that you were safe, and he told me what had happened."

Horrified that his uncle now knew what he'd done, Nick pulled away and tried to run. It had been a mistake to come to his uncle's house, he knew that now, but in his grief he hadn't known where else to go.

"Nicholas!" Al grabbed the boy by the arm and prevented his escape.

"Let me go!" Nick yelled, his voice pleading as he struggled against Al's grip. "Please!"

Al once again pulled the boy into his arms, holding him firmly and preventing his escape. He rocked the boy gently back and forth, stroking his blonde hair in a comforting manner. "Shhh," he soothed. "It wasn't your fault Nicholas. You have to understand that no one blames you for what happened. It was an accident and you're the only one who thinks it was your fault."

Nick placed his head on his uncle's chest and sobbed.

Al held the boy close and stroked his hair, allowing him to vent his grief. "It's going to be alright. It will take some time but you'll be okay.")

Nick remembered that day well. The memory of what had transpired would haunt him for the rest of his life. But Al had made his point well. It had been him that Nick had sought out in his time of need. However that did not decrease Nick's anger over the current situation.

"That point, while good, is invalid," Nick said calmly. "If I need your help then of course I'll seek you out but I don't need someone following me around as though I'm some child who can't take care of myself. And don't think for a minute that I don't know who put you up to this. You can tell my dad that I can handle myself just fine."

Al winced as the boy mentioned Ed. He'd known all along that this plan wouldn't work, that Nick was too perceptive, but Ed had insisted that he try. And there was no arguing with Ed once he got an idea stuck in his head.

Nick continued to rant and Al held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. Calm down kiddo. You win. Tomorrow morning I'll return to Resembool."

"Good," Nick said, slightly placated. "Incidentally, exactly how long have you been following me?"

Al took a deep breath, knowing that his reply would set the boy off again. "I've been tailing you since your last trip to Central."

Nick glared at his uncle. "I can't believe you've been following me around all this time!"

"Come on Nick, is it really that big a deal?"

"Yes," Nick said adamantly. "For a multitude of reasons. For one: bad things happen around me and I don't need the added burden of worrying about you. And for another: **I DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER**!!"

"You're so stubborn," Al said, shaking his head in exasperation. "You are definitely your father's son."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Why is it that every time people tell me that I get the distinct impression that they aren't meaning it as a compliment?"

"Because," Al said. "Along with your genius at alchemy, your dad passed along to you some less than desirable traits."

"That was harsh."

Al's expression was unapologetic as he gazed at his nephew. "I haven't said anything to you that I wouldn't tell your dad to his face. It's the truth and everyone, including Ed, knows it."

A/N - and there's another chapter. These updates are kinda fast but this story is pretty much finished already. It's just that I wrote it so long ago that I have to do some revisions before posting it. Thanks for reading. Hitsu-taichou


	23. Stray Dog of the Military

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Three - Stray Dog of the Military**

Nick was following information that he'd received concerning Hunter. The tip about the State Alchemist Killer had led the young State Alchemist all the way to the Northern region, which was dangerous in more ways than one since it was home to one of the major terrorist groups as well as being the possible hideout of Hunter. Nick was tracking Hunter through the North when he was ambushed by two of the homunculi, whom he had also been searching for. Nick had had previous run-ins with this particular homunculi duo and knew from past experiences that they called themselves Greed and Sloth.

"Look whose come to play. It's the Fullmetal pipsqueak."

Nick pointed his index finger at the homunculus. "Watch it. As things stand now, I'm only gonna kick your ass. But if you don't shut up I'll be forced to do something really harsh."

"Oh I'm really scared."

"Shut up Greed." The male homunculus glared at his female counterpart. "Quit messing with the runt and let's just finish this. Pride will be pissed off if we fail again."

"Fine." Greed let out a frustrated breath. "You know Sloth, you should learn to have a little fun."

"Well, I've heard all of this that I need to," Nick said, clasping his hands together.

The boy placed his hands to the ground, palms down, and watched as a staff rose from the ground, surrounded by a spray of blue sparks. This was one of his most frequently used transmutations, because the staff was useful from both a distance and up close.

Nick grabbed the staff and pointed it at the homunculi. "Last chance. Surrender now or suffer."

The two homunculi simply laughed.

This angered Nick and he ran toward his enemies. He swung the staff but Greed and Sloth dodged every blow.

"This is fun and all but as Sloth earlier pointed out, we really don't have time for this. Sorry kid."

Greed and Sloth both ran for the boy and, working together, the two homunculi managed to grab the boy. Once they had the boy captured, Sloth pulled the boy's arms behind his back and Greed released her hold.

Sloth held the boy's arms behind his back and no matter how much Nick struggled he was unable to break the homunculus' hold. Greed pulled a knife from her belt and used it to stab the boy in the back. Nick cried out in pain and fell to the ground as Sloth released his hold.

"I think it's time for the Fullmetal pipsqueak to take a little trip. Hunter."

Nick gasped as the State Alchemist Killer emerged from the shadows.

"Summon the Gate," Sloth ordered.

Hunter nodded. He pulled a chalk pencil from his vest pocket and began to draw an array on the ground.

Nick watched Hunter's actions for a few minutes, fighting to remain conscious, but soon the boy was over come by darkness. Ceasing his struggle for freedom the young boy went limp in his captors' arms.

When Hunter completed the array he stepped back. "It's complete."

The two homunculi nodded. Sloth came forward and stepped inside the array. Hunter knelt down at the edge of the array and placed his hands down upon it. The array began to glow and suddenly a large door appeared.

Greed picked up Nick's limp body and when the door opened she tossed the boy inside. The homunculus then made a move to step back, away from the door, but black hands came from inside and grabbed her.

"Sloth!" Greed screamed. "Help me!"

Sloth shook his head, watching without emotion as the hands pulled his partner toward the door. "Afraid not. Sorry Greed but Pride has determined that you're too much of a liability to keep around. We were going to have Hunter seal you, but this works better."

"Sloth!" Greed screamed as she was pulled into the gate.

Once Greed was inside, the door closed and then abruptly disappeared.

"Now that that's done we should return to Pride. She'll want a report on how things went."

Hunter nodded and the two of them left.

The next thing that Nick was aware of was a tremendous pain in his back. "Uhn," the boy moaned as he regained consciousness.

"Look's like the boy's waking up," a voice said from somewhere above Nick.

When the boy woke up he realized that he was lying on his stomach, in a bed. Nick made a move to push himself up with his hands but stopped short as a flesh-searing pain shot through his back. Along with the pain came the memory of what had transpired between him and the two homunculi.

"Dammit," the boy moaned dropping the few inches he'd managed to rise.

"Take it easy kid," a strange voice ordered firmly. "You've got a pretty nasty wound and you probably shouldn't move around too much. If you're not careful you could reopen your wound."

"Well Hohenheim, since the boy's conscious now and seems to be in fairly good condition, relatively speaking, I think I'll go home and get some rest."

"Alright. Thanks for your help Ian. And for your discretion."

"Anytime."

Nick heard a door open and then close but he resisted the urge to investigate. His back was still throbbing from his first attempt at movement and he wasn't anxious to repeat his earlier mistake.

"Dammit," the boy swore again. "Those bastards are gonna pay for this."

"Maybe," the man named Hohenheim said. "Maybe not. You can only make them pay if you can somehow manage to travel back to your world."

"What are you talking about?"

Hohenheim sat down beside Nick and pulled something from his pocket.

Nick stared at the silver chain that the man held. Hanging from the chain was a rectangular piece of metal, royal blue in color, with a chimera etched on the front of it. "What are you doing with my dog tags?"

"I was looking for some form of identification when I saw it."

"Okay," Nick said. "So once you learned my name from the tags why didn't you give them back?"

"It would have been unwise to leave it on you while Ian was treating your wound. The sight of it would have spawned questions that I could not answer. It was hard enough explaining your auto-mail and if he hadn't known I was a genius he wouldn't have believed that I made it."

"Why did you tell him that you made my auto-mail?" Nick was completely and utterly confused. "And why couldn't you just tell him that that particular design is the symbol of the State Alchemists?"

"The stories I told were necessary because neither auto-mail nor alchemists exist in this world."

"This world?"

Questions were normally the way you learned things however Nick's questioning was having the exact opposite affect. The answers he received were only serving to confuse him more.

_"This is messed up," _the boy thought to himself.

"I'll explain everything in time," Hohenheim said in a reassuring voice. "For now you should rest."

"So you say," Nick said. "But I'm not sure that will be possible at this point."

Hohenheim gently patted Nick on the shoulder. Then he stood up and walked over to the small table. He picked up a small, paper packet and a glass of water and carried them over to the bed where Nick lay.

Hohenheim tore open the packet and dumped the contents into the glass of water. Then he handed the glass to Nick. "Drink this."

Nick took the glass and stared down at the contents. "What is it?"

"It will help you rest," Hohenheim told him gently.

Nick debated what he should do for a few seconds longer. Then he made up his mind. _"If he were going to kill me he could have done so several times by now." _Nick slowly raised the glass to his lips and drained the contents, which were disgusting.

"Nasty," Nick said, making a face as he handed the glass back to Hohenheim.

"I know," Hohenheim said, taking the glass from the boy. "But soon it shall be forgotten."

Hohenheim stood up and walked back over to the small table. He placed the glass back on the table, near a pitcher of water.

Nick watched the man intently for a few moments but suddenly his vision began to blur.

"What the hell?"

Nick shook his head, in an attempt to clear his vision, but it was no use. The boy sighed and allowed the blackness to fully envelope him.

Hohenheim smiled as he watched the boy drift off to sleep. "He'll be out for quite awhile. I'll come back to check on him a little later."

Hohenheim left the boy's room, closing the door quietly behind him. Hohenheim walked down the hall and entered his study. He sat down in an armchair and pulled Nick's dog tags out of his pocket. He flipped the tag over to the side that had Nick's information engraved on it.

Nicholas Edward Elric. Fullmetal Alchemist.

_"I can't believe this. Edward's son."_

As he stared at the symbol of the chimera, Hohenheim's thoughts drifted back to the world of alchemy. The world he had once been a part of and still missed.

When Nick awoke he pushed himself up with his hands and was surprised when the pain that he'd expected didn't come. "Hmm," Nick said thoughtfully as he sat up in bed. "I wonder how long I've been asleep."

Nick looked up as he heard the doorknob rattle. The door slowly opened and Hohenheim entered the room, carrying a tray. He smiled when he saw that Nick was awake. "I thought you'd wake up soon so I brought you something to eat."

"Thank you," Nick said as Hohenheim placed the tray in his lap.

Hohenheim nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Nick picked up a spoon and took a bite of the hot soup that Hohenheim had brought him. He smiled at the man. "Not bad."

Hohenheim returned the boy's smile. "I'm glad you approve. I'm not that great a cook."

Nick laughed.

When Nick finished the soup Hohenheim moved the tray over to the table. Then he sat down beside Nick. Hohenheim reached into his pocket and pulled out Nick's dog tags. "Here."

Nick took the chain and placed it back around his neck.

"Fullmetal Alchemist."

Nick nodded. "Yea. That's my military title."

"I know," Hohenheim said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But you're not the first to hold that title. There was another before you."

"Uh huh. I inherited the title from my dad, kind of, in a messed up sort of way. But how did you know that?"

Hohenheim sighed. "Because I knew the first Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward."

"You knew my dad?"

Hohenheim nodded. "We had a few run-ins."

"Well that's freaky."

"You don't know the half of it kid."

A/N - yea I know that Hohenheim's supposed to be dead but hell, I didn't keep any of the others dead so why start now? Hope you enjoyed.


	24. Search for the Stray Dog

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Four - Search for the Stray Dog**

It had been nearly a month since Nick had been sent to the Northern Region and he had yet to send a report to his superiors on the progress of his mission. And despite repeated attempts by the military to contact the boy, his whereabouts remained unknown.

The fact that Nick could not be found was beginning to seriously piss Mustang off.

"Where the hell is he?" Mustang ranted for the hundredth time, pacing his office in frustration also for the hundreth time. "And why the hell hasn't he been in contact with us?"

The pacing usually helped to calm Mustang's anger to a manageable level but it wasn't working this time. He growled in frustration and stormed out of his office. He walked the few feet down the hall to the office that belonged to Havoc and, without bothering to knock, the Fuhrer burst through the door. Havoc, stunned by Mustang's behavior, jumped to his feet and saluted his superior.

"At ease," Mustang said gruffly, beginning to pace the floor of Havoc's office. "Havoc I want the truth. Have you had any contact with Fullmetal in the last month?"

"No sir," Havoc said earnestly. "I've tried to contact him but haven't had any success."

Mustang ceased his pacing and sat down heavily in the chair in front of Havoc's desk. "I knew you'd say that and I know it's the truth but I was really hoping for a different answer."

"I'm sorry sir."

Mustang shook his head. "No, it's not your fault Havoc. I just wish I knew what was going on with him. I know Fullmetal's grown restless recently but I'm not sure if it was enough to make him desert the military."

Havoc's eyes widened. "You don't really think that the kid ran away do you sir?"

"I don't know what to think at this point," Mustang said honestly. "But we have to look at it as a possibility. After all, Ed ran away from the military as well."

"That's true," Havoc said. "But you have to remember that when Ed ran away he was being actively pursued by the military, not to mention the fact that the head of the military was trying to kill him and he knew it."

"Point taken," Mustang said. "But I still want to know where he is and why he hasn't reported back to us. After all, it was an important mission he was entrusted with."

"So what do you propose we do sir?"

"I'm going to dispatch a search party," Mustang replied, making his mind up as he spoke. "Their orders will be to locate and question the Fullmetal Alchemist and, if necessary, to take him into custody."

"Sir," Havoc said, returning to a state of attention. "If I may make a request."

Mustang nodded.

"I would like to be in the group you send to search for the kid," Havoc said. "I want to hear for myself what Nick has to say."

"Very well Col. Havoc," Mustang said. "As of now you are in command of this mission. Gather your troops, you'll receive your orders in the morning."

Havoc saluted. "Thank you sir."

"No problem," Mustang said. And with that he got to his feet and left the office.

Havoc sat back in his chair and sighed. "Dammit Chief, I hope you have a good excuse for disappearing off the face of the earth."

Havoc gathered together a handful of soldiers whom he trusted enough to accompany him on his mission, including Lt. Jason Griffon, and in the morning they received their official orders from the Fuhrer himself.

Then, once they'd received their orders, the group departed fro the train station.

Mustang accompanied the group of soldiers to the station. "Col. Havoc, I expect to have regular correspondence with you. Understood?"

Havoc saluted. "Yes sir."

Col. Havoc's search party spent nearly two weeks scouring the Northern Region for Nick but no signs of the boy were found. As expected this thoroughly frustrated the group.

"Where the hell could he have gone?" Havoc wondered. "There are only so many places he could be."

Havoc didn't want to think it of the boy but desertion was quickly climbing to the top of the list of reasons for why Nick couldn't be found.

"He wouldn't really desert the military would he sir?" Lt. Griffon asked after two weeks of fruitless searching.

Havoc sighed. "I'd like to say no in answer to that question lieutenant but at this point I'm not sure anymore."

"Well I don't believe it," Lt. Griffon declared adamantly. "Nick would never do something like that."

"Your loyalty is admirable lieutenant," Major Jack Andrews said. "But it may be misplaced."

"We'll find out," Havoc said. "We've been ordered back to Central. Fuhrer Mustang no longer thinks Fullmetal is out here."

"Really sir?" Lt. Griffon said. "Did the Fuhrer find out something new?"

"I wish," Havoc said, shaking his head. "But after hearing my reports day after day, the Fuhrer has come to the conclusion that either Nick never came North or he left the region sometime before we arrived.

"So now what are we supposed to do sir?" Major Andrews asked.

"We have been ordered to travel to Nick's hometown, Resembool," Havoc told them.

"Fuhrer Mustang thinks the boy went home?" Lt. Griffon asked.

"He thinks it's worth checking out at any rate," Havoc said. "So we're leaving on a train first thing tomorrow. We'll travel to Central and from there we'll catch a train to Resembool. Until then, you're dismissed."

The four soldiers all saluted and then three of them turned and walked away. Lt. Griffon remained behind however. He wanted to talk to Havoc without the other soldiers present.

"Colonel."

"What is it Griffon?"

"I want your honest opinion," Lt. Griffon said, his tone serious. "Do you honestly believe what the others are saying; that Nick deserted the military?"

Havoc held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few moments before answering. "No, not really. It may simply be that Nick got distracted and simply forgot to check in. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened after all."

"Hmm," Lt. Griffon said. So the colonel didn't believe that Nick had ran away either. But the two of them were in the vast minority. Most of the others who knew about the situation thought that Nick had simply grown tired of being on the end of the military's leash and ran off.

But Lt. Griffon thought otherwise. Even under the military's control Nick had never been one to blindly follow orders and as a high ranking State Alchemist he was still able to do pretty much as he pleased so there was really no reason for him to desert.

_"What happened Nick?" _Lt. Griffon wondered to himself. _"Where are you?"_

Lt. Griffon had known Nick for a few years and although they'd generally had more disagreements than agreements he'd actually grown rather fond of the kid. And he was beginning to worry about him.

The next morning Col. Havoc met his troops at the train station and the five soldiers boarded a train bound for Central.

_"When I find that boy. . ." _Col. Havoc thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists. _"If he's still alive I'm gonna wring his neck."_

Col. Havoc had radioed ahead and Fuhrer Mustang was waiting for the group of soldiers when they arrived at the station in Central. As the soldiers disembarked from the train they saw Fuhrer Mustang standing on the platform. The group came to a halt in front of him and as one they all raised their hand in salute.

"So you didn't find any trace of him Havoc?" Mustang asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Havoc shook his head. "No sir. It was like he was never there."

"Maybe that's because he never was," Mustang said. "Take your troops to Resembool and search for him there."

"Sir," Havoc said.

"And one more thing," Mustang said, hesitating slightly before he disclosed this little bit of information to Col. Havoc. "Edward doesn't know anything about the boy's disappearance so be careful."

"You haven't told him?" Havoc asked incredulously.

Mustang shook his head. "No. I didn't want Ed to know that the military is searching for Nicholas on the off chance that the boy went back to Resembool since I can't picture him handing his only son over to the military that he despises."

"I see," Havoc said. "Well sir, I'll send you a report from Resembool."

Mustang nodded and handed a folder to Havoc. "Here are your train tickets. The train to Resembool leaves in about fifteen minutes so you'd best hurry."

Havoc took the folder from Mustang and saluted, mirrored by his troops. Then the five of them made their way to the train bound for Resembool. The troops boarded the train and left Central, prepared for yet another exhausting search for Col. Havoc's young subordinate.

"I really don't wanna do this," Col. Havoc whined as he sat down.

"Why not sir?" Lt. Griffon asked, confused. "Don't you want to find Nick?"

"Of course I want to find him," Col. Havoc said. "I just don't want to face Edward and tell him that we've lost his son."

"Why?' Lt. Griffon asked. "I've met Nick's father and he seemed like a nice enough guy to me."

"That's because you don't know Ed," Col. Havoc said. "Ed has a nasty temper and he's already promised to kill me if anything happens to Nick. Now he has an excuse to follow through with that threat."

"Come on colonel," Lt. Griffon said, attempting to soothe his commanding officer's raw nerves. "If worse comes to worse you can take him sir."

"Uh no I can't," Col. Havoc said.

Lt. Griffon's eyes widened.

"Ed's a skilled fighter and an even more skilled alchemist," Col. Havoc said. "He's a match for Fuhrer Mustang so I wouldn't stand a chance. He'd absolutely annihilate me."

"Whoa," Lt. Griffon breathed. "He's a match for Fuhrer Mustang? But he's the Flame Alchemist. His battle skills are legendary."

"True enough," Col. Havoc said. "But you've also heard stories of another legendary alchemist during your stint in the military right? Nick's predecessor, the original Fullmetal Alchemist."

Lt. Griffon nodded. "Yea. He was supposed to be an extraordinary alchemist as well. Certified as a State Alchemist at the age of twelve and the youngest State Alchemist in the entire history of the military until Nick was certified. One of the few State Alchemists actually able to hold their own against the Flame."

Col. Havoc nodded. "Well Nick's father Edward was the original Fullmetal Alchemist."

Lt. Griffon's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"No I'm not," Col. Havoc said, his face paling as he thought about exactly what Ed was capable of doing to him. "But at this point I really wish that I were."

"Now I see why you're worried sir," Lt. Griffon said. "Best avoid a fight if at all possible. I don't want to have to find another commanding officer. Good ones are so rare."

Col. Havoc wanted to thank Lt. Griffon for the vote of confidence however there was too much truth in what he said for Havoc to argue. So he chose to say nothing and turned his attention back to the landscape that was zooming by his window.

The train ride to Resembool hadn't taken any less time than usual but it seemed vastly shorter to Col. Havoc, who was seriously dreading their arrival in the rural town. As the train pulled up to the station Havoc groaned.

"Come on colonel," Lt. Griffon said. "Putting it off won't make it any easier."

Col. Havoc nodded and slowly rose to his feet. He exited the train, followed by his troops. Once the group was assembled on the platform Col. Havoc addressed his troops. "Okay, let the search begin."

With that Col. Havoc turned and began walking away from the train. The troops made their way down a dirt road that seemingly led out into the middle of nowhere.

The troops walked quickly and after about half an hour of walking, a house came into view. A young girl stood out in the yard, a large dog standing at her side. The girl turned as she heard the noise made by the approaching soldiers.

The dog began to bark.

"Keeva," the girl said quietly.

The large, furry dog whined and sat down at the girl's side.

"Can I help you with something?" the girl asked as Col. Havoc and his troops came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Is your dad around Aiya?" Col. Havoc asked the girl.

"I'm right here," a voice called out from a short distance away.

Col. Havoc grimaced and shifted his gaze toward the front porch, where Ed was standing.

Ed surveyed the group of soldiers standing in his yard and then he stared at Col. Havoc, a knowing look in his golden eyes. "You lost him, didn't you?"

Col. Havoc winced. "How the hell did you come to that conclusion Ed?"

"Why else would you come here with a group of soldiers?" Ed said impatiently. "I haven't completely forgotten my days in the military Havoc."

"Okay, I get your point," Col. Havoc said. "So have you seen him Edward?"

"No," Ed replied, shaking his head. "We haven't heard from Nicholas in a couple of months."

"And let me guess," Col. Havoc said with a sigh, shaking his head at his rotten luck. Why did these things always seem to happen to him? "You wouldn't tell us even if you did know where he was would you Ed?"

"Probably not," Ed said honestly. "But the fact remains that I really have no idea where he is."

"Dammit," Col. Havoc swore.

"Why don't you come inside Havoc?" Ed said. "We can discuss this further inside."

Col. Havoc nodded and he and his troops walked across the yard and filed into the house behind Ed. Ed led the troops into the kitchen and the group of men sat down at the kitchen table.

"So tell me Havoc," Ed said, folding his hands in front of him. "When did you last see Nicholas?"

"The last time I saw him was over a month ago," Col. Havoc replied. "Nick was ordered to travel to the Northern Region, near our border with Drachma. He left Central and promptly disappeared. He was supposed to check in regularly but he didn't and after awhile Mustang grew suspicious and angry."

"Tell me, has Mustang done anything to make the boy angry recently?"

"No more than usual," Col. Havoc said, racking his brain in an attempt to recall something that the Fuhrer might have done to make the kid angry enough to desert the military. Nothing came to mind.

"Hmm," Ed said. "Then it seems highly unlikely that he simply deserted the military."

"I thought that too," Col. Havoc said. "But when we searched for Nick in the North we found no signs of foul play."

"Well that's a small relief," Ed said quietly.

Col. Havoc gazed sympathetically at Ed. Nick's father had already lost one child to a tragic accident and Havoc didn't know if he could cope with the loss of another. Especially not under this set of circumstances.

"Don't worry Ed, I'm sure he's fine," Col. Havoc assured him. "Although I'm not gonna be if I don't find that boy soon."

"Would you like me to help you search?' Ed offered.

Col. Havoc shook his head. "That won't be necessary Ed. You should stay here with your family. We'll find him and when we do you'll be the first person I call. I promise."

"Thank you Havoc," Ed said.

Col. Havoc nodded and stood up. "Come on guys. We'll search the outskirts of town, because we were ordered to search the entire town, but I already know the outcome. We won't find him."

The troops all stood up and followed Col. Havoc out of the house.

Ed was still sitting at the kitchen table, lost in thought, when Winry entered the room.

"Edward," Winry said, jolting her husband from his thoughts as she sat down beside him.

Ed looked over at Winry.

"Aiya told me that a bunch of soldiers were here," Winry said. "What did they want?"

"Nothing much," Ed replied, not meeting his wife's gaze.

"Edward," Winry said, her voice full of warning. "Is it Nick? Did something happen to him?"

"Nick's fine," Ed said.

"Edward."

"He's fine," Ed said again. "They don't know where he is but there's no evidence that he's anything other than alive and well."

"They don't know where he is," Winry repeated. "What do you mean they don't know where he is?"

"Nick went on a mission to the Northern Region and after he left he stopped checking in with his superiors," Ed informed her. "But that doesn't mean something happened to him."

"Oh no," Winry said, tears appearing in her eyes.

Ed quickly rose from his chair and wrapped his arms around her. "He's fine Winry."

"How can you possibly know that for sure?" Winry asked, her voice shaking.

"Because Nick would never allow anything to happen to him," Ed said. "He'll resurface."

The troops searched the outskirts of town, including the caves where Nick and his siblings had played as children, but no sign of the boy was found. Not that any of them had really expected anything different.

Col. Havoc was not surprised. He'd known that Nick wouldn't be there.

"That's it," Col. Havoc said with a sigh. "The boy has simply dropped off the face of the earth."

"So now what do we do sir?" Lt. Griffon asked after their fruitless search of Resembool.

"We go back to Central," Col. Havoc informed the group. "I'll let Fuhrer Mustang decide what we should do next."

The troops all nodded.

So Col. Havoc led his troops back to the train station. Luckily for them there was one final train bound for Central leaving that day. The colonel bought tickets for the train and then they waited until it was time for their train to depart.

When the train arrived in Central Col. Havoc dismissed his troops. Then he made his way to Central HQ and down the hall to the Fuhrer's office. When he reached the door of Fuhrer Mustang's office, Col. Havoc knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter."

Col. Havoc opened the door and entered the office. He walked across the large office and came to a stop in front of the Fuhrer's desk.

"Havoc," Mustang said in surprise. "Back so soon?"

Col. Havoc nodded. "He wasn't there and Ed hasn't seen him."

"Are you sure?" Fuhrer Mustang asked.

Col. Havoc nodded. He had no doubt that Ed had told him the truth concerning the boy. "Yes. Ed was worried when he found out about Nick and fear for the safety of your child isn't the kind of emotion that you can believably fake."

"I see," Fuhrer Mustang said.

"So what do you want us to do now sir?" Col. Havoc asked his superior.

"I'm going to suspend the search for Fullmetal for now," Fuhrer Mustang decided. "I may restart it later if new evidence arises but for now you may return to your other duties colonel."

Col. Havoc saluted and left the office.

A/N - And there's the end of another chapter and now the military is looking for Nick. But for some strange reason I don't think that they're going to find him. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	25. Flashbacks

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Five - Flashbacks**

Hohenheim hadn't been up for very long and he decided to go and check on Nicholas before he started cooking breakfast. The boy's wound had been healing fairly well but he wasn't completely out of danger from infection so Hohenheim was still keeping a close eye on it. The man walked down the hallway and knocked on the door of the boy's room.

Hohenheim waited for an answer from the boy but he didn't receive one. He knocked on the door again, a little louder this time, but still he received no answer.

"Nicholas." Hohenheim slowly opened the door and peered into the room.

He gazed around the darkened room but there was no sign of the young boy.

"Now where did he run off to?" Hohenheim wondered aloud. The boy was still recovering from a fairly serious stab wound and shouldn't be over exerting himself.

Shaking his head, Hohenheim left the boy's room and went down the hall to his own room. He grabbed his coat and then left the room.

"I have to go and find him," Hohenheim said to himself as he pulled on his coat.

With that Hohenheim left his house. The man hadn't the slightest clue where the boy could have gone so he just walked down the sidewalk, hoping for the best. As he walked Hohenheim's mind kept wandering back to the young boy who'd been living with him for the past few weeks.

Hohenheim had been on his way back home when he heard a loud noise issuing from a dark alley.

"What the. . ."

Deciding that he should investigate the unknown noise Hohenheim walked into the alley cautiously. When his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light in the alley, he gasped.

A young boy lay in a crumpled heap in the back of the alley.

Hohenheim ran over to the young boy and knelt down beside him. Gazing down at the child he noticed two things, both of which made him gasp yet again. The first was that the boy was covered in blood, the second was his appearance.

"It can't be. . ."

Then, deciding that discovering the boy's identity could wait, Hohenheim scooped the boy up into his arms.

"Uhn," Hohenheim groaned, surprised by how difficult the boy was to lift. He was so small and yet he was surprisingly heavy.

The boy was wearing white gloves but the right one was ripped and through the hole Hohenheim saw a glint of silver. The man's eyes widened: the boy had an arm made of metal.

"How?"

At that moment the boy in his arms grimaced in pain and Hohenheim decided to put his thoughts on hold and get the boy some help. Hohenheim carried the young boy quickly back to his house, doing his best to avoid people. He had no desire to explain to people he didn't know why he was carrying a bloody child in his arms.

Once he arrived home Hohenheim quickly carried the boy into a spare bedroom and placed him on the bed. Hohenheim quickly removed the boy's black shirt and his undershirt and searched for the source of the blood. Finding nothing on the front half of the boy's body, Hohenheim carefully rolled the boy over onto his stomach.

That's when he found the vicious stab wound in the small of the boy's back.

"This is bad," Hohenheim said to himself as he surveyed the wound. "I think I may need some help with this."

So Hohenheim wrapped a temporary bandage around the boy's waist and then walked out of the room and over to the phone. He picked up the receiver and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Ian? This is Hohenheim Elric."

"What can I do for you Elric?"

"I have a young boy here who's been stabbed in the back, literally," Hohenheim explained. "I could really use your help if you can spare the time."

"Can't you just take the boy to the hospital?" the man named Ian asked.

"I'd prefer not to," Hohenheim said.

Ian picked up on the tone of his friend's voice and understood. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks Ian," Hohenheim said.

Hohenheim hung up the phone and then walked back over to the bed where the young boy lay. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at the boy's artificial right arm.

"Auto-mail," Hohenheim whispered. "I've seen work very similar to this, back in Resembool."

Sunlight shining through the room's solitary window caused something around the boy's neck to glimmer. Hohenheim removed the silver chain from the boy's neck and stared down at the piece of rectangular metal hanging from the chain. The piece of metal was blue with what looked like a cross between a lion and a serpent etched on the front, super imposed over a six pointed star. Hohenheim turned it around and discovered words engraved on the back.

Nicholas Edward Elric

Fullmetal Alchemist

"So I was right," Hohenheim thought to himself. "But how did he get here?"

Hohenheim's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the door. He placed his hand on the unconscious boy's shoulder as he stood up. "Help's here kiddo."

Hohenheim left the small bedroom and walked down the hall toward the front door. When he reached the door he quickly opened it and came face to face with his friend Dr. Ian McLeod.

"Welcome Ian," Hohenheim said, stepping aside so that Dr. McLeod could enter the house. "Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it," Dr. McLeod said. "So where's the boy?"

"Come with me."

Hohenheim led Dr. McLeod down the hall to the small bedroom where the young boy lay. He opened the door and motioned for the man to enter the room ahead of him.

Dr. McLeod entered the room and walked over to the bed where the young boy lay. "I'll need hot water."

Hohenheim nodded and left the room. He returned a little while later carrying a bowl filled with hot water, which he placed on the table that was located beside the boy's bed.

Dr. McLeod removed the makeshift bandage and cleansed the wound thoroughly. Then he stitched the wound closed and covered it with a sterile gauze pad.

Once he'd taken care of the boy's wound Dr. McLeod washed his hands and then he and Hohenheim retired to the den. Hohenheim sat down in a chair beside the fireplace and Dr. McLeod sat down on a sofa that was set off to the side.

"So tell me about that young man's arm," Dr. McLeod said.

Hohenheim had known that Ian would have questions about the auto-mail so he'd had a little bit of time to plan his response. "My grandson Nicholas lost his arm in a tragic accident and I wanted him to remain as functional as possible so I designed that arm for him. It has slightly more mobility than the usual prosthetics."

"I see," Dr. McLeod said, his voice filled with awe. "You should patent that invention and sell it."

Hohenheim shook his head. "Maybe at some point, but right now it still has some problems that I would like to work out. So I'd appreciate it greatly if you didn't mention this to anyone."

"My lips are sealed."

"Thanks," Hohenheim said.

During this period of reflection Hohenheim had wandered some distance from his house and he soon found himself at the alley where he'd first found Nick. And to his great surprise he found the boy standing in front of that very same alley.

Hohenheim quickly walked over to the boy. "Nicholas, what in the world are you doing here? You shouldn't be up."

Nick turned to face the man, a strange look on his face. "You sounded just like my dad just then. That was creepy."

Ignoring that comment Hohenheim placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Nick gazed sadly at the alley. "I was looking for a way home."

"How did you know to come here?" Hohenheim wanted to know.

"I don't know exactly," Nick said, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well come on," Hohenheim said. "You won't find the Gate here so we may as well go home. Besides, it's dangerous to be wandering the streets in these troubled times."

"Okay Gramps, have it your way," Nick said.

"Gramps?"

Nick smirked and started walking in the direction of Hohenheim's house.

Hohenheim shook his head and followed the boy.

When the two reached Hohenheim's house the older man noticed what appeared to be a wet spot on the back of the boy's gray vest.

"Nick," Hohenheim said as he closed the door. "Take off your vest."

"Huh?' Nick said, confused.

"Your vest, take it off," Hohenheim repeated.

Nick shrugged and unbuttoned his vest. He pulled the vest off and tossed it onto the back of a nearby chair.

"Damn," Hohenheim muttered.

"What?" Nick wanted to know.

"You've pulled your stitches loose," Hohenheim said. "Take off your shirt."

Nick unbuttoned his white shirt and pulled it off. Then he looked at the back of the shirt and saw the large blood stain. "Great."

Hohenheim pulled a chair out and pointed at it. "Sit down and I'll clean you up."

Nick obediently sat down and Hohenheim cleaned the blood from the wound and examined it.

"Well it looks like the wound has healed enough that you don't need new stitches," Hohenheim said. "So I'll just re-bandage the wound."

"Okay," Nick said.

Hohenheim gathered together some first aid supplies and then went to work. He cleaned the wound and then placed a sterile gauze pad over it, taping it in place with a few strips of white tape.

"There," Hohenheim said. "You're all patched up. Now the next order of business would be clean clothes."

Thinking back to the bloodstained shirt and vest, which Hohenheim had given him, Nick bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about the clothes Nick," Hohenheim said. "It's not that big of a deal. I'll go out and buy you some more clothes later this morning. Until then I'll lend you one of my shirts. It will be way to big for you but it will work for the time being."

And with that Hohenheim walked back to his room. He went over to his chest of drawers, opened the top drawer and pulled out a white button up shirt. Then he walked back to the living room and handed the shirt to Nick. "Here you go kiddo."

"Thanks," Nick said pulling on the shirt, which was about five sizes too big for him and made him look as though he were wearing a dress.

Hohenheim laughed but wisely chose not to comment.

Nick glared at the older man and quickly began to stuff the shirt down into his pants, so at least he wouldn't look like he was wearing a dress. Nick was grateful that the man managed to refrain from laughing at him over the incident but he was still mortified and the red glow of his face was proof of that fact.

"Why is it always me?" he thought to himself.

A/N - hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. The Musician


	26. Hohenheim's Revelation

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Six - Hohenheim's Revelation**

It had been a little over three weeks since Nick had left his world and ended up stranded in London and the boy had once again vanished. Hohenheim was exasperated when he went to awaken Nick only to find that the boy's bed was empty. This was the second time that it had happened and the last time he did it the boy had overexerted himself and pulled loose a couple of his stitches, thus slowing his recovery.

The first time that Nick had disappeared Hohenheim had went searching for him however this time he decided against that course of action. It was highly unlikely that he'd be able to find Nick this time since the boy's wound was less of a hindrance and he would therefore be able to travel much further than the few blocks that he'd made it last time.

Shaking his head Hohenheim closed Nick's door and walked down the hall to his study. He'd just have to wait until the boy came back, if he did come back. Hohenheim sat down in his armchair and attempted to read a book but he found himself unable to keep his mind on the words he was reading. It kept wandering back to the boy.

Ed's son.

It still amazed Hohenheim even three weeks later, that Ed's son, his true grandson, had traveled through the Gate and emerged, unharmed on the other side. And it was more amazing still that Hohenheim had been the one to find the young boy.

Hohenheim was still in his study, lost in thought, when he heard the sound of the front door opening. He waited for a few minutes and then called out, "Nicholas?"

A few moments passed and then the boy stuck his head in the door. "You called?"

"Where have you been?" Hohenheim asked the boy.

"Out," Nick replied casually.

"That's not an answer Nicholas," Hohenheim said. "Besides you shouldn't be wandering around by yourself. You're still a stranger in this world, not to mention the fact that we're in the middle of a war."

That comment, although harmless enough, struck a nerve. Nick stiffened. "I know you took me in and probably saved my life but that doesn't give you the right to boss me around."

"You are **JUST LIKE **Edward," Hohenheim said, shaking his head.

"And yet again I get the distinct impression that you don't mean that in a good way."

"Stubborn," Hohenheim said. "Runs in the family, apparently."

"And what would you know about it?" Nick wanted to know.

"Sit down," Hohenheim said, gesturing toward the sofa, although he made sure to make it sound like an invitation rather than an order.

Nick sat down without protest but the boy didn't look happy about it.

"You've been calling me Gramps for nearly a week," Hohenheim said. "All the while not knowing how close to the truth you really were. I think it's rather amusing actually."

"Where are you going with this?" Nick asked impatiently. "If it offended you then you should have said something about it sooner."

"No patience," Hohenheim said with a chuckle. "That's genetic too, I think. I wasn't offended Nicholas. I just thought it was funny that you'd choose to call me that even though you didn't know who I was."

That statement confused Nick for a moment but as he stared at the man named Hohenheim a light bulb went off. The man knew about the other world, knew about the Gate and alchemy, which Nick knew for a fact didn't work in this world. And on top of all that he knew Ed.

Nick's jaw dropped. "You can't be."

Hohenheim smiled at the boy. "Figured it out have you? I knew you could solve the puzzle if given all the pieces. You inherited your dad's genius as well as his attitude."

This time Nick knew he was being given a compliment, albeit an unusual one.

"I'm not surprised your dad didn't tell you about me," Hohenheim said, a sad expression on his face. "I wasn't exactly a model father."

"You're wrong," Nick said. "Dad did tell us about you but I was young and only half paying attention. I remember now."

Hohenheim smiled, pleased that Ed had spoken of him. Then he remembered something else that Nick had said. "Us?"

Me and my sisters," Nick clarified.

"You have sisters?"

Nick nodded and reached into the inside pocket of his shirt. He pulled out the photo that he always carried over his heart and handed it to Hohenheim.

Hohenheim took the picture that Nick offered him and when he gazed down at it he saw that it was a family portrait.

Nick stood up and walked over to stand behind Hohenheim's chair. He leaned over and pointed out his family members one by one. "That's dad and my mom Winry."

Hohenheim nodded. "I knew Winry when she was young, as well as her parents and her grandmother Pinako."

Nick pointed to his twin sisters, who were standing in front of him with their arms around Keeva. "That's Aiya and that's Harmony. And the big furry monster in the center is Keeva. Of course this picture's nearly seven years old but we haven't changed all that much."

Hohenheim gazed down at the picture of his eldest son, with his arm around Winry and the three children plus a shaggy white dog standing in front of them. He had grandchildren. The thought of that was amazing to Hohenheim and he stared down at the photograph for several long moments. How he wished he could see them. But seeing the picture and meeting Nick were the next best things.

"Listen Gramps," Nick said softly. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I know you were just worried."

"It's okay Nicholas," Hohenheim said, handing the photo back to Nick. "You had a valid point. I don't really have the right to boss you around."

Nick shook his head as his grandfather tried to give him back the picture. "No, you keep it. I can always get a new one when I go back home."

_"Assuming I can ever find my way back," _the boy thought to himself sadly, as a sort of after thought.

Hohenheim saw the look of longing and despair on the boy's face and he stood up and placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Don't worry Nicholas, you'll see them again."

Nick looked up at Hohenheim in surprise. How had the man known exactly what was troubling him?

"Your eyes gave you away," Hohenheim said in answer to the boy's unspoken question. "I've noticed during your time here that you express ninety percent of your emotions through your eyes."

Nick was surprised by his grandfather's statement and wondered whether or not it were true. He'd always tried to hide his emotions and up until now he'd thought he'd done a pretty good job but if what Hohenheim said was true then he was mistaken.

"Don't make that face," Hohenheim said. "Showing your emotions isn't a bad thing."

Nick thought otherwise but chose not to prolong the discussion.

A/N - and there's another chapter and now Nick knows exactly who Hohenheim is. This one was really short but oh well. That happens sometimes.


	27. The Other Mustang

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Other Mustang**

Nick had been trapped on the other side of the Gate for a little over two months and he had yet to find a way back to his own world. And on top of that the world that he was now stranded in was in the middle of a terrible war. Many countries, including the one in which Nick found himself, were involved in the war and the young boy decided that his attempts to get back home would progress better if he conducted his research in a place not gripped in the throws of war. So, his decision made, Nick told Hohenheim of his plans to travel to America, a country that had thus far managed to stay out of the war.

"Are you sure about this Nicholas?' Hohenheim asked as his grandson pack up his meager belongings.

Nick nodded, closing his suitcase. He'd made up his mind, and he would go through with his plans.

"Well if you must," Hohenheim said, knowing that there was no way that he'd be able to talk his headstrong grandson out of the trip. The boy really was entirely too much like his father. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Worried about the safety of his young grandson, who despite all his maturity was only fifteen, Hohenheim was more than willing to accompany the boy to America. He held no real attachment to England after all, he'd merely stayed there because he figured it was just as good as any where else in the world and quite a bit better than Germany, where he'd spent several years after World War I.

Nick shook his head quickly. "No. You have a life here and I can't ask you to walk away from that life just to come with me. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine."

"Okay Nicholas," Hohenheim said. "If you're sure."

Nick nodded.

Hohenheim walked over to the boy and unexpectedly wrapped his arms around him. "Take care of yourself Nick."

"Don't worry," Nick said, pulling away from his grandfather. "I will."

Hohenheim nodded.

* * *

The trip to America was fairly uneventful and Nick arrived in the state of Hawaii with high hopes for his research. There was a military base on the small island state but the soldiers, as well as the civilian inhabitants, seemed fairly carefree. This was a stark contrast from the tension that he had left behind in Europe and Nick was thankful for the change. Nick took a room in a boarding house and once he'd unpacked his few belongings, he set out to explore the island.

Nick spent the next few days exploring and getting to know his new home. He was walking along beside the ocean, which seemed to give him peace, when he heard the roar of a machine's engine. The sound seemed to be coming from over his head and Nick instinctively looked up. There, in the skies above his head, two machines were soaring through the clouds.

Two fighter planes were practicing battle maneuvers in the skies above his head and they held the boy transfixed. He watched as the two planes dodged one another and engaged in battle tactics.

Even though he had seen them many times by this point Nick was still amazed by the flying machines that existed in this world but not in his own. According to Hohenheim that was because this world had developed advanced machinery and physics had taken the place of alchemy, which had became obsolete very early on in this world's history and had never developed to its full potential as it had in his own world.

And although there was no way that Nick would chose the airplanes over the ability to use alchemy he was still interested in them and would love to find out how exactly they worked.

Nick was staring up at the two airplanes, thinking to himself that although the machines were fascinating they couldn't possibly be better than alchemy, when he heard a voice call out behind him.

"Amazing huh kid?"

Nick's eyes widened and he whirled around quickly. He'd know that voice anywhere but what he didn't know was how the man could have possibly gotten here.

"Mustang," Nick mouthed, staring at the uniformed man standing in front of him.

"Hi kid," the man said. "Are you new around here?"

Nick nodded, confused by the man. He could tell that this was not the Roy Mustang that he knew and disliked however they looked nearly identical. The only discernable difference was the fact that this man didn't wear an eye patch as the Fuhrer did.

The soldier offered Nick his hand. "My name's Lt. Roy Mustang, U.S. Army. What's your's kid?"

Nick took the man's hand and shook it. "Nicholas Elric."

"Pleased to meet you Nick," Mustang said. "So you're interested in airplanes, huh kid?"

Nick nodded.

Mustang held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few moments and then he seemed to come to a conclusion regarding whatever it was that he'd been pondering. "Come with me."

Confused, Nick shrugged and fell into step behind the soldier. He had no idea what the man wanted but his curiosity made him follow the soldier. He wanted to find out what the man had planned.

Mustang led Nick to the military base where he was stationed and he gave the boy a tour. However since Nick didn't have clearance to be on the base it was a rather covert tour. The man and boy had to be careful not to be spotted by anyone who might turn them in to the military police. And at the end of the tour Mustang took the boy into the hanger where the fighter planes were kept. Mustang checked to make sure that no one was inside the hanger and, seeing no one except for a couple of mechanics whom he was friends with, he motioned for the boy to step inside the hanger.

"Wow!" Nick exclaimed in awe as he stepped inside the hanger and stared at the fighter planes. He walked around the hanger, examining the planes that were housed there close up.

Mustang smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. He himself had been like that at an early age and he saw a little bit of himself in the young boy. Maybe that was why he'd had the desire to befriend the boy.

After Nick had gotten a good look at the fighter planes he and Mustang left the hanger. They left the base and wandered back to the spot where they'd met, a couple of hours prior.

"So where are you from kid?" Mustang asked as they walked along the beach. "I've tried but I can't seem to place your accent."

Thinking fast Nick shrugged. "I'm from nowhere in particular. I've moved around a lot, after all and there's nowhere here that I would truly call home."

Mustang stared at the boy, a look of comprehension appearing on his face. His dark eyes widened. "You're an army brat, aren't you?"

Deciding that that conclusion was close enough to the truth Nick nodded. After all he HAD been called an army brat before, it just wasn't used in the same context. Besides, if he confirmed Mustang's theory then the man wouldn't feel the need to further pursue the matter. Or so he hoped.

"I knew it," Mustang said. "So where is your father kid? Can I meet him?'

Mustang's request making him think of the life he'd been forced to leave behind when he'd been tossed into the gate, Nick bowed his head, his downcast eyes filled with sadness. "My dad's not around."

Thinking that Nick's statement meant that the boy's father was dead Mustang dropped the subject and did not pursue it further. He could tell by the look in the boy's eyes that it was a painful subject and he didn't want to needlessly traumatize the kid.

Grateful that Mustang had dropped the subject of his dad, Nick gazed up at the man. He was curious about how much this world coincided with his own. "So do you have a family?"

A slight flush came to Mustang's cheeks. "I'm working on it."

"I see," Nick said, a knowing look in his golden eyes. So even though the people in this world resembled people that he knew from his own world the lives of those people did not coincide completely with their counterparts on the other side of the Gate. This Mustang wasn't married, nor did he have any children. That knowledge gave Nick a small sense of relief. He didn't know if he could handle meeting someone who was physically identical to Kaori and yet not her.

Time had passed virtually unnoticed by the two of them but when Nick glanced at the horizon he realized how much time had passed. The sun was sinking behind the horizon, in a brilliant display of colors.

"Damn, it's getting late," Nick said. "I should get back."

Mustang rubbed the back of his head. "Yea, me too. In fact if you wanna get technical I should have been back hours ago. But oh well." As he turned to walk away, Mustang waved to Nick. "Take care of yourself kid."

Nick nodded. "Thanks for the tour."

And with that the two of them parted ways.

Nick chuckled to himself as he walked back toward the boarding house where he was staying. "The rebellious Mustang. That's just weird."

When Nick arrived back at the boarding house he went directly to his room. He kicked off his shoes and fell down onto the bed. Nick drew his hands beneath his head and stared up at the ceiling. As he lay there Nick thought about the man he'd just met and how greatly he differed from the Mustang that Nick knew. The Mustang that he'd just met was a lower ranked officer, unmarried, and childless but by far the biggest difference between him and the Fuhrer lay in their personalities. This Mustang seemed almost nice, which Nick found to be extremely unnerving.

"This world is really weird," Nick thought to himself. It was not a new thought; Nick had thought this same thing many times since he'd crossed over to the world on the other side of the Gate and yet this new Mustang was by far the most unnerving thing that he'd encountered.

This Mustang had a certain disrespect for rules that Nick found amusing. The man had risked a lot to sneak Nick on the base and give him a tour of the hanger that housed the fighter planes and yet he had seemed unconcerned about the risk to his career.

Keeping himself out of trouble had seemed to be less important to the man than showing Nick a good time.

* * *

Over the next few months Nick and Roy became fairly good friends and Nick often took time out from his research in order to spend time with his new friend when the lieutenant had free time. Although he wouldn't have thought it possible, since this man was Fuhrer Mustang's double, Nick really did enjoy spending time with the lieutenant. And it wasn't wasted time, since Roy gave him useful information on the fighter planes used by the military and Nick had hopes that this knowledge might help him in his quest to return to his own world.

Roy managed to sneak Nick onto the base a couple more times and during one of these trips he introduced the boy to his girlfriend, Riza. Having been in the world on the other side of the Gate for a little over half a year it came as no surprise to him that Roy's girlfriend was physically identical to the Fuhrer's wife Hawkeye in his own world. And it was even less of a shock to him that the woman's personality was completely different. That was the one universal fact that Nick had noticed among the people who had twins on the other side of the Gate. Although they looked the same they were definitely not the same people.

The Hawkeye on this side of the Gate was an army nurse and she was stationed on the same base as Roy, which is how the two of them met each other. She was working in the military clinic on the day that Roy brought Nick for a visit.

"Hey you," Roy called out as he walked through the door.

Riza turned around and smiled, but that smile faltered when she noticed the boy that was trailing behind Roy. "Roy! What in the world is that boy doing here?"

"He's a friend of mine," Roy said, unconcernedly. "And I wanted you to meet him."

"Do you realize how much trouble you'll be in if he gets caught here?" Riza asked.

Roy shrugged. "I think the colonel's already spotted him as well as several of the lower ranked men. To be

honest with you I don't really think they care. He's just a kid, after all. How much of a threat can he pose?"

Riza rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, you're not really worried about getting into trouble are you?"

"Not really," Roy said with another shrug of his shoulders.

"Typical man," Riza said, before turning her attention to Nick, who was still standing near the door. "I'm sorry about that but I'm constantly worrying about Roy. It seems that he's determined to get himself court-martialed. I'm Riza Hawkeye."

Riza held out her hand to Nick, who walked over and grasped it warmly. "Nick Elric."

"Pleased to meet you Nick," Riza said, offering the boy a smile. "So how exactly did you come to meet Roy?"

"We just sort of bumped into one another," Nick answered honestly. "We share an interest in fighter planes."

"I see," Riza said. "So you're one of them too, huh? I guess it's lucky for your parents that you're not old enough to join the military."

Nick inwardly smirked at this comment. The military in this world was much stricter with the age limit than the one in his own world. The Amestris State Military didn't care how old you were as long as you were talented. After all, he'd been only eleven when he'd joined. However in this world you had to be eighteen years of age or older, no exceptions.

Nick had a far away expression on his face while he was lost in his own thoughts and Roy took this to mean that the boy was attempting to block out thoughts of his parents, whom the boy had allowed Roy to believe were deceased. Roy leaned over to Riza and whispered, "Don't talk about his parents. They're both dead."

Although Nick had never actually told the lieutenant that his parents were dead, that was the impression Roy had gotten from the fact that Nick lived alone in a boarding house.

Riza's eyes widened in horror. "Oh I'm so sorry."

The woman's apology snapped Nick out of his thoughts and although he had no idea what she was apologizing for he thought it best if he just said, "Don't worry about it. It's okay."

Now feeling sorry for the young boy, who appeared to her to be around the age of thirteen or fourteen, Riza offered Nick a smile. "Roy you should bring him over to my place this evening for dinner." Then she turned to Nick. "My place is located off base, so we can talk as long as we want without fear of either Roy or myself getting into trouble."

"Okay," Nick said with a smile, appreciating her act of kindness.

"Well Nick," Roy said, throwing an arm around the boy's shoulders. "I think that's our cue to leave." And with that Roy led Nick from the clinic, while Riza watched their retreat, shaking her head at Roy's obvious lack of concern for the fact that he was breaking several base rules.

"He's hopeless," Riza muttered under her breath.

"Sorry about that Nick," Roy said as the two of them walked back across the base, away from the clinic. "Riza means well, she's just really uptight about me breaking rules."

"It's okay," Nick said. "She wants to protect you. I completely understand."

"Well I've gotta get back to work before I really do land myself in the brig," Roy said with a grin. "But since Riza invited you to dinner tonight I'll meet you back here at six o'clock tonight."

Nick nodded and turned to depart.

A/N - oh no, it's another Mustang! Run for your lives! Hope you enjoyed this chapter please leave a review and let me know that someone is reading this. Please?


	28. Unlikely Ally

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Twenty-Eight - Unlikely Ally**

There has to be a way for me to get back to my world," Nick mumbled to himself as he walked down the street. He'd only been back in London for a short period of time and yet the horror of the bombing of Pearl Harbor was still with him and all the boy could think of was a way to get back to his own world. Although there were times of strife in his own world it was far less violent than the one he was trapped in and he desperately wanted to return to it. Desperately wanted to see his parents, Aiya, Kaori, Havoc, hell even Mustang would be a welcome sight at this point. His stomach lurched at the thought of Mustang and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the other Mustang, who had lost his life in the bombing.

"There is," a voice said from behind the boy.

Nick whirled to face the person behind him. He gasped when he saw that it was Greed who stood a few feet back. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Instinctively Nick clasped his hands together but since alchemy didn't exist in this world nothing happened. "Damn. I'm never going to get used to that."

"Calm down pipsqueak. I'm not here to fight you."

"Then why **ARE** you here?"

Greed's eyes glazed over and when she spoke her voice was filled with anger. "Those bastards let me get sucked into the Gate along with you."

Nick smirked. "Serves you right."

Greed narrowed her eyes. "Watch it boy. Without my help you'll never get back to the other side of the Gate."

Nick returned the glare, ten fold. "Assuming you have any clue as to how I can get back. Of which I have my doubts."

"Oh I have more than a clue."

Nick called her on that remark. "Then why didn't you summon the Gate yourself and get the hell out of here?"

Greed made an angry noise deep in her throat. "Because homunculi are unable to use alchemy."

Nick groaned. He'd known that it was too good to be true. "Alchemy? You moron. In this world I can't use alchemy either."

"There you are wrong. In the right situation, with the right set of circumstances you can use alchemy. Even in this world. But you can't do it without me."

"Well aren't you special. But you know that theory works both ways because you can't do it without me either. So hah."

Greed clenched her hands into fists. "True enough. So do you want to work together and get out of this hellhole or not?"

Nick crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

Greed gazed around the nearly deserted streets of London. "We can't speak about it here. We need to find someplace where we cannot be overheard."

"Fine. Do you have somewhere in mind?"

Greed nodded. "Come with me."

_"I'll most likely live to regret this,"_ Nick thought to himself as he followed the homunculi. _"If I'm lucky."_

Greed led Nick to a rundown part of town and into a small, dilapidated old shack. Nick gazed around at the poor excuse for a building, inwardly marveling that it was still standing. "You actually live here?"

"Yes," Greed spat out viciously. "Unlike you I have no relatives in this world to live with."

"Hey it's not my fault that my grandfather's stuck in this hellhole too," Nick said defensively. "And it's also not my fault that you don't have relatives.

"That's all beside the point," Greed said impatiently. "There's only one reason why I sought you out and that's to summon the Gate. You can use alchemy, with my help and we can both go home."

"Tell me something Greed. If what you claim is true and there is a way to use alchemy even in this world then why hasn't Hohenheim used his alchemic powers to summon the Gate. He's an alchemist as well so if there really was a way to do it then he most surely would have."

"He did summon the Gate. Once." Greed told the boy, remembering what she had learned from the man responsible for the homunculi's search for the Philosopher's Stone. "However he used it to send his son Edward back to the world from which he came."

Nick saw red as soon as he heard that comment. He couldn't believe what this homunculus was telling him. Not even bothering to question how Greed knew about this event, his anger at his father intensified. His eyes narrowed. "My dad came to this world!? Yet another important detail of his life that he neglected to tell me."

"Calm down Fullmetal," Greed said. "You can be pissed off at your dad all you want after we've returned to our world."

Nick stared at the homunculus for a few minutes before he made his decision. "Alright. I'll work with you but I don't trust you. And I warn you now; if you betray me you will regret it."

"Whatever." Greed walked over to a small nightstand, opened a drawer and pulled out a rather dingy looking piece of paper. Then she walked back across the room and offered the dirty piece of paper to Nick.

Hesitating for only a second, Nick took the piece of paper from Greed and stared down at it. On the paper was a poorly drawn transmutation circle, which was lopsided and smudged.

"It's just as well homunculi are unable to perform alchemy. By the looks of this particular transmutation circle, your alchemy would be seriously screwed up."

"Shut up runt."

**"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"**

"Enough." There was a note of impatience in her voice. "Do you think you can reproduce that array, magnified by ten?"

Nick squinted his eyes and stared down at the transmutation circle. "Maybe. But since the rendering is so bad it might not be one hundred percent accurate."

"It has to be one hundred percent accurate. There is no room for error. The transmutation won't work if the array is flawed."

"I'll try. But I make no guarantees."

"I suppose that will simply have to do for now." Greed pulled a chalk pencil from her pocket, which she then handed to Nick.

Nick took the chalk pencil. "We'll need another location in order for this to have even the slightest chance of working. Your shack simply isn't big enough for me to draw this array in the correct proportions."

"Very well."

An hour and a half later Nick was kneeling on the ground in an old abandoned warehouse. "I guess this will do." Nick pulled the chalk pencil and Greed's drawing from his pocked. The boy studied the drawing for a few minutes and then he began to draw the array, pausing from time to time to glance back at the drawing.

The array was quite intricate and it took Nick nearly forty-five minutes to complete the drawing.

"There," Nick said as he completed the array. "Finished. And done to the best of my abilities."

"It's about damn time. I thought you were supposed to be some kind of alchemical prodigy. Why did it take you so damn long to finish one simple little drawing?"

"Simple little drawing my ass!" Nick was quick to defend himself. "Don't blame this on me. It wouldn't have taken anywhere near as long if your artwork didn't suck so bad."

Greed shrugged off the accusation. "Shall we see how well you drew the array?"

Nick nodded and knelt at the edge of the array.

Greed stepped to the center of the circle.

Nick quickly moved his hands. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm the key ingredient for this transmutation. Now calm down and get on with it."

"I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"I don't like you but I still can't transmute you."

"I'm truly touched. But you can get over your moral dilemma. The transmutation won't hurt me. In fact Sloth's done it many times."

"Is that a fact?"

Greed nodded. "It's how we sent you here and ultimately how I, myself ended up here."

A determined look appeared in Nick's golden eyes. "Alright. But if something happens to you it's your own damn fault."

"The only way anything bad will happen is if you made a mistake on the array."

"And I reiterate, if anything goes wrong it's your own damn fault."

Nick took a deep breath, in preparation for what he was about to do. Greed may not have a soul but she was, technically a living thing and Nick had always been taught not to use living things in a transmutation. That kind of alchemy was depraved.

Nick clasped his hands together and placed them on the edge of the array.

Blue lights began to swirl around them and Nick gasped in horror at the sight. This transmutation looked eerily similar to the one that had cost him his right arm and nearly cost him his life. The boy gazed around wildly, expecting the vivid blue lights to turn a violent shade of red, however that didn't happen. Instead a large doorway appeared out of nowhere.

"You did it!" Greed's voice sounded half surprised, half amazed.

Nick stared up at the huge door. "I've seen this before. When I attempted to resurrect my sister."

Greed nodded. "The Gate is essential in alchemy. Lives lost on this side of the Gate are summoned to our side by alchemists and used as energy for transmutations."

"No way."

"Way," Greed said in a bored voice. "Simply having the right materials isn't enough. You have to have energy in order for the transmutation to work."

"That's just wrong."

"Wrong or not that's the way of the world. Now come on. Let's go back to our world so that I can seek my revenge against those traitorous bastards."

Nick cast a wary glance at the homunculus. "Just so you know, nothing's changed between us."

"Good."

Nick walked toward the Gate and as he approached it, the door opened. Taking another deep breath and summoning up all of the courage he possessed, Nick stepped into the Gate.

Once Nick had disappeared into the Gate, Greed stepped out of the transmutation circle and ran to jump inside before the Gate closed.

A/N - The end of another chapter. Moment of silence for Other Mustang, who is now dead. Damn, he didn't last very long. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought cause I really wanna know.


	29. The Stray Dog Returns

**Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine - The Stray Dog Returns**

Eight soldiers, in full dress uniform, walked slowly across the green grass. The other soldiers who were stationed in Central stood at attention and watched as the eight approached. Balanced on the shoulders of the eight men was a casket, draped with the State Flag. As the honor guard made its way to the freshly dug grave Fuhrer Mustang raised his hand in salute. The Fuhrer's action was quickly mirrored by the rest of the soldiers who were assembled in front of the grave.

The large assembly of soldiers held their salute as the casket was lowered into the grave.

As two soldiers began to fill in the grave Kaori spotted a lone figure standing at the edge of the cemetery. The lone figure was small in stature and dressed all in black.

"Nick?" Kaori mouthed.

When the funeral service was over and most of the soldiers gone, the lone figure approached the freshly covered grave.

"Fullmetal?" Fuhrer Mustang said, watching the lone figure's approach.

The lone figure came to a stop a few steps away from Kaori and Mustang and raised his hand in salute. "Hello Mustang," Nick said softly, gazing pointedly at the freshly covered grave. His salute had been for the deceased soldier and he wanted to make that fact perfectly clear.

Kaori walked over to Nick and hugged him fiercely. "Where have you been?"

For once Nick didn't guard against an open show of affection in front of Mustang. He wrapped his arms around Kaori and returned her embrace. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. So what exactly happened to Lt. Col. Breda?"

"Officially he was killed in the line of duty while fighting the rebels in the Northern Region," Mustang explained. "But I'm not sure I believe that."

"Hmm," Nick said thoughtfully. So many bad things had happened in the Northern Territory that had nothing to do with the rebels who had their camps along the border and Nick was fairly certain that Breda had not been a victim of the rebel faction. Nick thought it likely that he'd run afoul of the homunculi as he had.

"So why did you desert the military Fullmetal?" Mustang's voice was filled with accusation.

"I didn't," Nick said, looking Fuhrer Mustang square in the eyes. "I didn't choose not to come back from my last fight. I wasn't able to."

"What do you mean you weren't able to?"

"Perhaps we should continue this discussion somewhere a little more private." As he spoke Nick gestured toward several military members who were still hanging around at the cemetery.

"As you wish," Mustang said. "Shall we go to my office then?"

Nick nodded.

"Kaori." Mustang turned to face his daughter. "You should go home."

"Oh hell no!" Kaori exclaimed, her eyes filled with defiance. "I wanna hear this."

Mustang sighed but did not pursue the matter further. He merely shrugged and walked across the cemetery, headed toward a car that was parked at the edge. Nick and Kaori followed and the three of them climbed into the back of the car.

"Where to Fuhrer Mustang sir?" the soldier in the driver's seat asked.

"Central HQ," Mustang ordered.

"Yes sir," the soldier said.

About fifteen minutes later the car pulled up to the curb in front of Central HQ. The driver got out, walked to the back of the car and opened the door. Mustang got out of the car, followed by the two kids, and the three of them entered Central HQ.

On the way to Mustang's office, the group ran into Col. Havoc.

"Fullmetal?"

Nick waved at his direct superior. "Yo."

"Where have you been?" Col. Havoc asked, the tone of his voice containing a mixture of relief and anger. The colonel and his men had made several trips to various locations in Amestris, searching for the missing State Alchemist but never a trace of him was found and Havoc wanted to know exactly where the boy had been hiding. And now that he knew that Nick was still alive his worry gave way to anger.

"That would seem to be the question of the day," Nick said. "You may as well join us Colonel. It will simplify things."

Col. Havoc cast a questioning glance at Mustang. "Sir?"

"It's fine Havoc."

So the group continued the trip to Mustang's office, their numbers increased by one. When they reached the office Mustang opened the door and ushered them inside.

Once the group was assembled inside the office Mustang closed the door and walked over to his desk. Mustang sat down in his chair and motioned for the rest of the group to sit down, which they did. Three pairs of eyes turned expectantly toward Nick.

"So tell us Fullmetal," Mustang said, leaning forward in his chair and gazing directly into the boy's eyes. "Why have you been unable to return or contact us for a year and a half?"

"Yea runt," Col. Havoc said. "Inquiring minds want to know."

Nick's eyes narrowed and he pointed his finger at Havoc, a tick mark appearing on his forehead at the mention of his height, or lack there of. "Don't you **EVEN** start that with me."

Col. Havoc held up his hands. "Okay, okay I'm sorry."

"Come on Nick," Kaori said, breaking the strained silence that had descended after Havoc's remark. "Tell us where you've been for the last year and a half."

Nick took a deep breath and looked at Havoc and Mustang. He knew that Kaori would know nothing of what he was about to discuss but he was fairly certain that Fuhrer Mustang and Col. Havoc would. "I trust you're familiar with the Gate?"

The two men gasped.

"I'll take that as a yes," Nick said. "Continuing on. I was tracking Hunter through the Northern Region when I was ambushed by two of the homunculi, the two who call themselves Greed and Sloth. A fight broke out and needless to say I wasn't doing that great. Two homunculi are a tough fight to win on your own. The two homunculi ganged up on me and I ended up pinned. After they had me pinned the one called Greed stabbed me in the back. At this point, the homunculus called Sloth called out for someone and to my shock and horror the State Alchemist Killer, Hunter emerged from the shadows. He pulled out a chalk pencil and began to draw an array but I lost consciousness before he finished. When I regained consciousness I was in a bed in the home of a stranger who I later learned was my grandfather, Hohenheim. I was confused about what had happened during the fight, after I lost consciousness, and I soon became even more confused. Hohenheim informed me that I was now in a completely different world. And in this world alchemy did not exist. And I gotta tell you, that was freaky. And it sucked to no end, but that's beside the point. Once I recovered from the stab wound I began searching for a way to return to this world. Needless to say, the search did not go well. I even went so far as to travel to other countries in order to research ways in which I might return home and yet nothing I tried was successful. I remained trapped and without any solid leads to go on. Needless to say things did not look good. That is until one day I ran into an old enemy. Apparently the partnership of the homunculi had been dissolved and Greed's buddies had gotten rid of her. It appeared as though her buddies had tossed her into the Gate along with me and needless to say, that pissed her off. And as luck would have it I happened to run into her one day while I was roaming around aimlessly, lost in thought. She showed me an array that allowed me to use alchemy, even in that world and using her as material in the transmutation I opened the Gate and the two of us managed to return. And once I returned to Central and learned about what happened to Lt. Col. Breda I went straight to the cemetery. And this brings us up to present day."

At this point Nick stopped to catch his breath and smirked at the identical looks of amazement that all three of them wore. This was the look that he'd expected to get when he told his story and it amused him greatly. "So," Nick said, after he'd given his audience a chance to digest what he'd told them. "Do you believe me or not?"

Fuhrer Mustang thought about what Nick had told them for a few moment before he spoke. "Of course I believe you Fullmetal. That story is to unbelievable to be made up."

Nick arched a brow. _"That went over better than I thought it would," _he thought to himself.

"Nicholas," Fuhrer Mustang said. "I need to speak with Col. Havoc. You're dismissed."

Nick stood up and bowed to his superiors and then he left the room.

Kaori quickly jumped to her feet and rushed to follow Nick. She quickly caught up with him and the two of them left the building. The two teens went to their favorite spot on the grounds and sat beneath a beautiful shade tree.

"So Nick," Kaori said. "What was it like on the other side of the Gate?"

"A lot like this one actually," Nick said thoughtfully, thinking back to the time that he'd spent in America with the fighter pilot who'd shared Fuhrer Mustang's name and face but who had a distinctive personality that was all his own. "Names for things were different and the places weren't the same but I saw a whole lot of familiar faces."

Nick was sitting with his hands on his knees and Kaori reached over and placed her hand on top of his.

Nick glanced over at Kaori, a slight blush coloring his face.

"I really missed you Nick," Kaori said.

"I missed you too Kaori," Nick said, the blush that was coloring his face deepening.

Nick clasped his hands together and placed them on the ground at his side. Blue sparks erupted around his hands and flowers pushed their way up through the soft soil. Nick picked the light blue flowers and quickly braided them together. Then he placed the flower band on top of Kaori's ebony hair.

"I missed that too," Nick said, gazing down at his gloved hands. "Alchemy doesn't work on the other side of the Gate."

"That must have really sucked," Kaori said.

"It did," Nick said. "Immensely. But I learned a few things while I was in that world. One of which was that lives lost on that side of the Gate travel to our side where they are used by alchemists as energy for transmutations. And when I learned that interesting little bit of information I began thinking about human transmutation."

"Nick. . ."

"One would think that, following the law of equivalent exchange, a life would have to be forfeited in order to gain a life in return," Nick said. "But I no longer believe that to be the case. I now think that you could, in theory, give up the use of alchemy in order to regain a soul that was lost. It seems possible that that would work since you would, in a sense, be giving life for life."

Nick's words concerned Kaori and she gazed over at him, a worried expression on her face. "Nick, you aren't thinking about attempting human transmutation again, are you?"

Nick shook his head. "No. Life only flows in one direction. You can't bring back the dead; trying just causes more pain. And even though I may know how it could possibly be done I also know that I have the profound responsibility not to."

"That's good," Kaori thought to herself, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Kaori," Nick said, gazing at her with a serious look in his golden eyes. "I told you this because I care for you and thought that you deserved to know however you must not speak of this to anyone, not even your dad."

Kaori nodded. She more than anyone knew why no one must know of Nick's theory and she had no plans to tell people that Nick had possibly uncovered the secret of human transmutation. There were some things that people just didn't need to know.

As she thought about Nick's new theory, she gazed at him intently. She hadn't seen him in over a year and he seemed to have matured quite a bit during the time that he was away.

A/N - end of another chapter.


	30. Missing Alchemists

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty - Missing Alchemists**

"So Nick," Mustang said as he gazed at the young boy who was standing in front of him. "Now that you're back and have been cleared of all wrong doing I have a mission for you."

"A mission?"

Mustang nodded. "Several State Alchemists have gone missing in the last couple of months and I want you to find them."

"Are you sure they weren't victims of Hunter?"

"Doesn't fit his MO," Mustang said in answer to the boy's question. "In the cases known to be connected to Hunter we had no trouble finding the bodies. He makes absolutely no attempt at covering up his crimes. However these alchemists simply vanished and although it's possible I find it hard to believe that five State Alchemists would desert."

"Alright. I'm on it."

"One more thing Fullmetal. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm not sending you on this mission alone."

Nick stared at the Fuhrer.

"All five of the alchemists were last seen near our border to the north and as you well know that's where the rebel faction has its headquarters. Therefore I'm sending a few well trained troops with you."

Nick gave Mustang a dirty look.

"Don't give me that look Fullmetal," Mustang said, sighing at the boy's obvious displeasure over the situation. "I'm not sending them as baby-sitters. You're in charge of this mission and the soldiers will obey your orders."

Nick's eyes lit up.

"Unless you order them to remain in Central. I'll be sure to give them permission to disobey any orders along those lines."

_"Damn," _Nick thought to himself. Then he grinned at Mustang. "I give you credit Mustang, you've gotten smarter."

Mustang smirked. "I had to, in order to keep one step ahead of you."

"So which unfortunate souls are you gonna force to accompany me?"

Mustang shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. Any requests?"

"Second Lieutenant Griffon," Nick said.

Mustang arched an eyebrow. "The body guard whose presence you normally loathe?"

Nick nodded, giving no explanation for his choice.

"Very well then," Mustang said. "Anyone else?"

Nick shook his head. "Whoever."

"Alright then. I'll assemble your team immediately. Report back here at 0700 tomorrow to receive further orders. Until then you are dismissed."

Nick saluted (something that he rarely did nowadays) and left the office.

As he walked away Nick thought about his upcoming mission. "This will be different. I'm not use to other people coming along on my missions."

* * *

The next morning Nick arrived at Mustang's office promptly at seven and when he entered he saw five soldiers in blue standing in front of the Fuhrer's desk. Nick walked across the large office and took his place at the end of the line.

The other soldiers were all standing at attention however Nick chose a more relaxed stance.

"At ease everyone," Mustang said, gazing pointedly at Nick. "Now that you're all here we'll make the introductions."

Mustang motioned for Nick to step forward and for once the boy obeyed without comment. Barely managing to hide his surprise Mustang proceeded to introduce Nick to the group. "For those of you who don't already know him this is Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The group saluted Nick, which only served to make the boy feel self-conscious. "At ease."

"Nick," Mustang said. "This is your squad. Starting from the right; First Lieutenant Benjamin Gray, First Lieutenant Kisa Fox, Second Lieutenant Jason Griffon, Second Lieutenant Colt Sanford, and Sergeant Kayti Knight."

Nick inclined his head to each soldier as their name was called.

"Now that we have the formalities out of the way, on to business. As I'm sure you're all aware, five State Alchemists have gone missing in the last seven weeks. All were on missions to the Northern region and all reported nothing of importance before their abrupt disappearances."

"Is it the work of the State Alchemist Killer Sir?" Lt. Gray wanted to know.

"No," Mustang replied, thinking that maybe he should have briefed the soldiers along with Nick the first time, since it seemed apparent that now he was going to have to answer the same questions that Nick had asked yet again_. "I should have picked this group out as soon as I decided to send Nick on this mission." _ Mustang thought to himself. _"That's what I get for procrastinating." _Focusing his thoughts back on Lt. Gray's question Mustang continued his explanation. "These disappearances don't fit Hunter's MO. No bodies or evidence of foul play have been found."

Not wanting to hear the same things that he'd heard yesterday and knowing that Mustang didn't want to explain it again Nick interrupted the conversation. "So when do we leave Mustang?"

Mustang handed Nick a cream colored folder bearing the military crest. "You leave later this evening. Your train tickets and case file are in this folder."

Nick nodded.

"You are all free for the duration of the day. Report to Central Station at 1600 hours." At this point Mustang paused and looked at Nick. "They're all yours Fullmetal."

Nick glanced briefly at his troops. "Dismissed."

The soldiers quickly saluted and then filed out of the room.

"Well that was weird," Nick commented as he watched the group of soldiers file out of the room.

"Give it time Fullmetal. The power will eventually go to your head."

Nick smirked. "Oh you'd know all about that wouldn't you sir?"

Mustang grinned evilly. "You have no idea kid. Now I have no idea how long this mission is going to take but I'm fairly sure that it won't be a short one. And since you'll be away from Central for awhile, Riza told me to invite you to lunch at our house. So you're invited to lunch and it goes without saying that you're not allowed to refuse the offer. So meet me back here at eleven."

Nick nodded even though under normal circumstances he would have protested the mandatory lunch out of mere principle. This situation was different since it would give him a way to see Kaori before his departure without having to fear for his safety.

* * *

It was fifteen minutes before eleven when Nick made his way back down the hall to Mustang's office. Since he was early Nick leaned up against the wall, to wait. As he stood there, Nick closed his eyes and thought about the mission that he'd just been assigned.

In a few hours he would be on a train bound for the region to the North, on a mission to locate five missing State Alchemists.

Nick's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a door opening. He opened his eyes and saw Mustang standing in front of his office.

"Come along Fullmetal. Let's go."

Nick nodded and fell into step behind his superior.

Mustang led the way down the hallway and then outside. A car was parked outside Central HQ and as Mustang and Nick approached, the soldier standing beside the car opened the door for them.

Mustang motioned for Nick to get into the car and once the boy was seated in the backseat he got inside as well. The soldier closed the door, walked around behind the car, and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Where to Fuhrer Mustang, Sir?"

"Home," Mustang ordered.

"Yes sir," the soldier said.

* * *

At four o'clock p.m. Nick arrived at the train station in Central and he quickly located his squad. The five soldiers jumped to attention and saluted as Nick came to a stop in front of them.

"Don't do that," Nick said, embarrassed by their show of respect.

However the group remained at attention and Nick soon saw why. He watched as Fuhrer Mustang walked up to the group.

"At ease," Mustang said.

The soldiers relaxed somewhat and Mustang turned his attention to Nick. "Are you ready for this Fullmetal? After all, it is your first mission since your return."

"I'm ready," Nick assured him.

"Good," Mustang said. "Now you're being sent to rescue the five missing State Alchemists but remember that the troops under your command are your first priority."

Nick nodded. Then he turned to his troops. "I hope you guys packed your civilian attire."

The group of five all nodded, unsure where their young leader was going with this.

"Good," Nick said. "Go and change out of your uniforms."

The soldiers stared at him, confused.

"Do you have a plan Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.

"Somewhat," Nick said. "But even if I didn't I don't think it would be wise for a group of soldiers to go into enemy territory openly flaunting the fact that they belong to the military that the enemy despises. We can't rescue the alchemists if we're shot by rebels as soon as we get off the train."

Mustang nodded his head in approval. "Very good Fullmetal." Then Mustang looked over at the soldiers, none of whom had moved. "You have your orders and do not question your commanding officer again."

The five soldiers saluted. "Yes sir."

Fifteen minutes later the group returned, now dressed in their civilian attire.

"That's better," Nick said as he surveyed the group. "We look a little less conspicuous now. Okay, we don't want people to know that we're all traveling together when we reach the northern town so we're going to spread out into separate cars."

The train ride to the Northern Region had taken nearly forty-seven hours and by the time the train reached it's destination Nick was fearing for his sanity. He really hated long, boring train rides.

Nick jumped to his feet before the whistle announcing their arrival blew and he grabbed his suitcase from the overhead luggage rack. Then he quickly exited the train and gazed around the platform, looking for the group of soldiers who'd traveled out North with him.

There was no sign of them, which played right into Nick's plan.

The soldiers who'd been sent along with him were all spread out in separate cars and Nick took this chance to slip off. It would be easier to do his reconnaissance work without the five of them following him. Mustang would be pissed off when he found out that he'd ditched his troops but the Fuhrer had told him that the troops under his command were his number one priority and he took that seriously. If he waited and allowed the troops to come with him then they'd be caught for sure.

"Sorry guys," Nick said as he walked away from the train. "But it's what I have to do."

Nick quickly walked over to a man dressed in a blue suit, spoke briefly with him and then quickly left the station.

Once the quintet of soldiers had disembarked from the train they quickly met up and searched for their leader.

"Has anyone seen Nicholas?" Lt. Gray asked his companions.

The other four soldiers shook their heads. They hadn't seen their leader since the five of them had boarded the train in Central.

"That's just great," Lt. Gray said, his voice filled with frustration. "Now what do we do?"

"Well," Lt. Griffon said quietly. "Since we're supposed to be undercover I vote we play the lost child routine and ask around. Maybe someone around here saw where he went. It can't hurt at any rate."

"Good plan," Lt. Gray said approvingly. "We'll split up and ask around and then we'll meet back here in fifteen minutes, whether or not we've found him."

The others all nodded and the group split up.

Lt. Griffon walked around for a few minutes, asking random people if they'd seen the boy. Then he spotted a blue clad conductor. "He may have seen Nick!"

Lt. Griffon walked over to the conductor. "Excuse me sir but I've lost my younger brother and I was wondering whether you've seen him. He's kinda small, with long blonde hair and he was dressed in black.

"Are you Jason?" the conductor asked.

Lt. Griffon nodded, surprised that the conductor knew his name.

The conductor pulled a folded up piece of paper from his pocket and offered it to Lt. Griffon. "The boy told me to give this to you."

"Thank you." Lt. Griffon took the paper from the conductor, unfolded it and scanned the contents. His eyes narrowed as he read.

Jason,

Take the others and go to the hotel as planned. I'll meet you there and explain everything then. Don't bother to search for mebecause it would be a waste of time. You won't find me. And it goes

without saying that these are official orders, so don't even think about disobeying me.

Nick

"That boy," Lt. Griffon growled, crumpling the letter in his hand.

"Is there a problem sir?" the conductor asked, a concerned expression on his face as he watched Lt. Griffon crumple the letter into a miniscule ball.

"It's nothing," Lt. Griffon said. "He's just run off again. He does it all the time."

"Do you want me to call the local police?' the conductor asked.

Lt .Griffon shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. The boy's sixteen and he can take care of himself. Besides, he'll show up sooner or later. He always does."

"Okay," the conductor said. "If you're sure."

Lt. Griffon nodded. "Thanks for your help."

And with that Lt. Griffon walked away. Since he knew that there was no chance of finding Nick, he made his way to the arranged meeting place and waited for the others to join him.

Less than ten minutes later the group from Central were reassembled.

"Anyone have any luck?' Lt. Gray asked once everyone had arrived.

As he looked around the soldiers shook their heads one by one. Until his gaze fell on Lt. Griffon that is.

"Yea I had some luck," Lt. Griffon said. "But it wasn't good luck."

Lt. Gray could tell by the tone of the lieutenant's voice that he wasn't happy about whatever it was that he'd found. "What is it?"

"The brat went off on his own," Lt. Griffon said, handing Nick's note to Lt. Gray. "He gave this to a conductor with instructions for the man to give the note to me."

Lt. Gray quickly read the note and then cursed under his breath. "Dammit. I guess we're going to the hotel then."

The other three soldiers had read the note over Lt. Gray's shoulder and Lt. Sanders spoke up in a low voice. "Isn't this one of those orders that Fuhrer Mustang gave us permission to disobey?"

"Unfortunately not," Lt. Gray said. "The Fuhrer said that we could ignore any orders to remain in Central or any orders to return to Central once we got here. This is neither of those things and therefore we must obey."

Lt. Griffon shook his head. "The kid found a loop hole."

Lt. Gray nodded, rolling his eyes. "The kid's to smart for our own good."

The others all nodded. That was the general consensus among them.

"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "Let's go to the hotel like we were told. The kid will meet us there eventually."

After leaving the train station Nick made his way around the small town, looking and more importantly listening for any signs of the missing alchemists. The boy was lurking near the edge of town when he heard a familiar, and utterly bone-chilling voice.

"So how are things going?" the homunculus called Sloth asked.

Nick flattened himself against a nearby building, so that the enemy couldn't see him and he listened to what they were saying.

"We're not there yet," another voice said, in a frustrated tone. "And I'm beginning to think we never will be."

"Are they not cooperating?" Sloth asked, a slight note of threat in his voice.

"That's not it," the other voice said. "I just don't think they've got it in them. Even with all the clues that we've handed them they still seem unable to forge the Stone."

"Dammit," Sloth hissed. "We'll give it a few more days and see what happens. And for there sakes I hope those alchemists find some hidden talent in a hurry."

With that Sloth and the unknown person departed, leaving Nick leaning against the wall, barely breathing.

_"I can't be sure of it," _Nick thought to himself. _"But I think the homunculi are behind the disappearance of the five State Alchemists that I was sent here to find." _

Nick waited until he was absolutely sure that Sloth and his companion were gone and then he made his way to the small town's solitary hotel.

"That was productive," Nick thought to himself as he made his way to the hotel. "This we can work with."

When Nick reached the hotel he inquired at the front desk about Jason and the lady was kind enough to give him the lieutenant's room number.

"Thank you," Nick said quietly.

Nick made his way upstairs and quickly located the room where Jason was staying. He knocked lightly on the door and then waited. Moments later the door opened and a hand stretched out and grabbed Nick by the shirt.

Nick was pulled into the room and the door was quickly closed behind him. Once he was inside Nick saw that all of his troops were gathered together in Lt. Griffon's room and they were all glaring at him.

"Don't give me that look," Nick said.

"Why did you go off on your own?" Lt. Gray asked. "We're supposed to be your back-up."

"You are my back-up," Nick said in a frustrated voice. "But I'm in command of this mission which means I make the decisions. And I decided that I didn't need you for this part. In fact it was much easier without you."

Lt. Griffon gazed at Nick intently. "What happened while you were gone Fullmetal? Something good by the look on your face."

"I may have a lead," Nick said. "I'm not one hundred percent sure but I may know what happened to the missing State Alchemists."

"Really?" Sgt. Knight asked.

"Possibly," Nick said. "While I was out I overheard a couple of people talking and based on what I heard I think they may have had something to do with the alchemists' disappearance."

"So where do we go from here?" Lt. Gray wanted to know. "Are you gonna run off and try to take care of this yourself Fullmetal?"

Nick gave the lieutenant a droll stare. "Of course not. You're my back-up so it's time for you to back me up."

"Do you have a plan?" Lt. Griffon asked.

"I'm working on one," Nick said. "If what I overheard is true then the alchemists were abducted for research purposes so they're in no immediate danger. Tomorrow we'll split up into groups and do some scouting, since I'm not exactly sure where the alchemists are being held so we'll have to ask around."

The five soldiers all nodded.

"Okay," Nick said. "Lt. Griffon, Sgt. Knight you're with me. Lt. Gray, you're with Lt. Fox."

The troops all nodded.

"Okay then," Nick said. "You should probably go to your rooms and get some sleep. And try not to let anyone see you all leaving this room."

The troops all stood up and saluted Nick and then they left the room.

"So," Lt. Griffon said as the other soldiers left his room. "Are you bunking with me little bro?"

"Sure enough," Nick said. "Unless you object."

Lt. Griffon raised his hands. "No objections."

"Good," Nick said, sitting down on one of the two twin beds that were situated in the small room.

"So Nick," Lt. Griffon said. "What happened today?"

"I needed to check out the area," Nick told him. "And it would have been harder to be inconspicuous with the four of you tagging along, besides the fact that it just would not have been safe. So I decided to go alone."

Lt. Griffon stared at the boy, shaking his head. "That independent streak of yours is gonna get you killed one of these days."

"It's not independence that makes me do these things," Nick said in a rare moment of openness. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. I've caused enough pain in my life."

Lt. Griffon was surprised by the uncharacteristic show of openness from Nick. It wasn't like the boy to divulge things of that nature to anyone, especially not someone connected to the military.

"Nick. . ."

"Enough of that," Nick said quickly. "We should both get some sleep."

"You're probably right sir," Lt. Griffon said. "Which bed do you want?"

Nick looked down and then shifted his gaze over to the lieutenant. "The one I'm sitting on works for me."

Although Nick had suggested to everyone that they all get a good night's sleep he found it incredibly difficult to doze off once he lay down. His thoughts kept drifting to the fact that the homunculi were the ones responsible for the disappearance of the five State Alchemists that he'd been sent North to locate. That meant that he'd have to face them and at the same time try to shelter his troops from the knowledge of what they truly were.

"This won't be easy," the boy thought to himself as he gazed out into the darkness.

* * *

The next morning Nick was up before the sun and since Lt. Griffon and most likely the rest of his troops were still sound asleep, the boy quietly left the room and made his way downstairs.

"Good morning," a voice said as Nick descended the stairs.

Nick waved to the lady who'd been at the front desk the night before. "Hello."

"You're up awful early," the young woman said with a smile.

"Tell me about it," Nick said rubbing his eyes.

"Rough night?"

"I've had worse," Nick said. "So what are you doing up so early?"

"I always get up this early," the young woman replied. "I've got work to do. By the way, my name's Mara."

"I'm Nick."

"Pleased to meet you Nick," Mara said. "So where are you off to at this unholy hour of the morning?"

"Nowhere in particular," Nick said. "Just out to see the sights."

"Well have fun," Mara said.

"Thanks," Nick said.

Lt. Griffon awoke to sunlight on his face, spilling in from the room's single window. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, and glanced over at the other bed.

The bed was empty.

"Dammit Nick," Lt. Griffon growled, getting quickly out of bed.

At that moment the door opened and Nick walked into the room. He glanced at Lt. Griffon's angry expression and smirked. "It's about time you got up."

"Where have you been?" Lt. Griffon asked.

"I went out for a walk," Nick said, with a shrug. "I had to do something to occupy myself while you guys were sleeping."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Lt. Griffon wanted to know.

"There was no reason to," Nick replied, sitting down on his bed. "It was too early to begin our scouting: we'd draw attention if we all went out this early."

"I see," Lt. Griffon said.

"Okay," Nick said. "I think it's about time for the others to get up. Think I'll go help them with that."

And with that Nick jumped to his feet and left the room. He walked down the hall, banging on the doors of the rooms where his troops were all sound asleep. Then he retreated back to Lt. Griffon's room and waited.

Five minutes later the four soldiers filed into the room.

"You summoned us sir?" Lt. Gray said, offering Nick a rather sarcastic salute.

"So you noticed?" Nick said with a smirk. "How perceptive."

"Couldn't help but notice," Lt. Gray said. "Must you insist on acting like a little kid?"

"Little?" Nick said, raising an eyebrow. He turned to Lt. Griffon. "Can't you do something about him?"

"What?" Lt. Griffon asked. "Like sit him down and have a talk?"

Nick shook his head. "No, like stand him up and have him shot."

"Sir!" Sgt. Knight exclaimed.

"He's joking," Lt. Griffon said quickly. Then he turned to face Nick. "Aren't you?"

Nick shrugged but said nothing, neither denying nor acknowledging what the lieutenant said.

"Okay, all joking aside," Lt. Fox said. "What's our next move?"

"Our next move," Nick said quietly. "is to track down the strangers that I was eavesdropping on yesterday. They hold the key to the success of our mission."

"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "So what do they look like?"

"I only got a good look at one of them," Nick said, deciding that this small lie was necessary. In all honesty he hadn't got a good look at either of the men but he knew what Sloth looked like from their prior encounters. However the lie was necessary because he couldn't allow his troops to discover exactly what they were dealing with. "He's tall with long black hair and he has a very distinctive tattoo. It's blood red and it's Ouroboros, the serpent that devours its own tail."

The soldiers all nodded.

"Okay," Nick said. "We'll search the village until noon and then we'll meet back here. Everyone got that?"

"Yes sir," the group chorused.

Nick nodded. "Dismissed."

The troops jumped to attention, saluted and then left, one group at a time.

After giving the other two groups a good head start, Nick and Lt. Griffon left the room. They quickly descended the stairs and left the hotel, walking out into the bright morning sunshine.

Nick and Lt. Griffon spent the morning asking local villagers if they'd seen the strange man with the Ouroboros tattoo. And during those hours they spent searching, they picked up a couple of potentially useful tips.

"That turned out better than I expected," Lt. Griffon said as they made their way back to the hotel.

"Oh ye of little faith," Nick said with a smirk.

Lt. Griffon matched the boy's smirk. "And when exactly did you become the optimistic one of the group? You're as pessimistic as they come."

"Hey, I resent that remark."

"No," Lt. Griffon said, shaking his head. "You resemble that remark."

Nick pointed his index finger at the lieutenant. "You'd better watch yourself Griffon. I can have you court-martialed you know."

"You could," Lt. Griffon said with a knowing look in his eyes. "But you won't."

"Yea you're probably right," Nick said with a shrug.

When the group reassembled in Lt. Griffon's hotel room they compared notes and then discussed their strategy, which was a completely new experience for Nick.

"So," Nick said. "Popular opinion has the strangers staying in an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. It's not used anymore so no one cares that they're there or for that matter what they're doing."

The soldiers all nodded; that had been the general consensus among the village's inhabitants.

"I think we've gathered enough information," Nick said. "It's now time to move into phase two of this mission. Time to make our move. You can have the day off and then we'll make our move late tonight."

The soldiers saluted.

"Dismissed."

Having been given their leave the troops filed out of the room, leaving Nick and Lt. Griffon alone. Nick was sitting on his bed, staring at the floor, and Lt. Griffon came to stand over him.

"Aren't you gonna go out and enjoy your free time sir?" the lieutenant asked.

Nick shook his head. "No, I'm just gonna stay here and rest but you should go have some fun."

Lt. Griffon looked hesitant.

"Go," Nick ordered.

"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "If you insist. But I'll be close by if you need me sir."

"Be gone with you," Nick said, waving his hand toward the door.

Lt. Griffon chuckled and walked toward the door.

Once the lieutenant was gone Nick pulled his boots off and stretched out on the bed, with his arms beneath his head. He wasn't about to tell his troops but the real reason why he was staying inside was the fact that the homunculi knew who he was and there would be hell to pay if they saw him before he and his troops rescued the State Alchemists.

_"I can't let that happen," _Nick thought to himself as he stared up at the ceiling. _"No one else will die because of me."

* * *

_

When dusk fell the troops from Central returned to the hotel room where their commanding officer was dozing fitfully. Nick awoke immediately when he heard the soldiers enter the room. He sat up quickly but then fell back when he saw who it was."

"A little jumpy aren't we sir?" Lt. Sanford said with a grin.

"Oh shut up," Nick muttered, inwardly thinking that they'd be jumpy too if they'd been through all the things that he had.

"Do you want us to leave so you can finish your nap?" Lt. Gray asked. "You're cranky."

Nick glared at his obnoxious subordinate but chose to say nothing.

"I think you should watch it sir," Sgt. Knight said, noticing the look that Nick was giving the lieutenant.

"Let's discuss our mission strategy," Nick said impatiently. "So we can get this over with and I can get rid of you people."

"That was cold," Lt. Griffon said.

Nick shrugged. "So tonight, at or around midnight, we'll make our way to the warehouse. Once we're there lieutenants Fox and Gray, you'll create a disturbance and hopefully lure the kidnappers out of the building. And since we have no idea how many of them there might be the rest of us will enter the building and attempt to locate and rescue the alchemists."

Lt. Griffon looked impressed. "Wow Fullmetal, when did you become such a good strategist?" After all, he was of the impression that Nick didn't do strategy.

"The strategy is for your benefit," Nick informed the group.

"Gee thanks sir," Sgt. Knight said.

The group of soldiers discussed their strategy for the mission for several hours. Then, at twelve-thirty in the morning Nick gave his troops the order to move out.

The soldiers all saluted and then the large group left the room, making no effort to hide their intentions this time around. It was late and thus they were unlikely to be caught.

Nick led his soldiers out of the hotel and across the deserted town to the warehouse where Sloth and his companions were holding the five State Alchemists hostage.

"Okay guys," Nick whispered as the group gathered behind a clump of trees and bushes. "Are you guys ready to do this?"

"Yes sir," the soldiers all chorused in a whisper.

"Okay," Nick whispered. "Split up and carry on with your respective duties."

"Yes sir."

The group split up, leaving Nick and Lt. Griffon facing the front entrance of the warehouse. They listened intently for a few minutes and then they heard a loud crash, followed by gunfire.

Nick's gaze was fixed on the front door and he was not disappointed. The door burst open and several hostile looking men ran out, weapons drawn, looking for the source of the noise.

When the group hurried of to search for the source of the disturbance Nick nudged Lt. Griffon and the two of them sprinted toward the open front entrance.

"Be careful," Nick whispered as he and Lt. Griffon flattened themselves against the outer wall and carefully peered into the building. "That wasn't all of them, I'm sure of it."

Lt. Griffon nodded, cocking the pistol that he held in his right hand.

Nick and Lt. Griffon entered the building and began their search for the abducted alchemists. The warehouse was split into sections and he and Lt. Griffon began to systematically search them, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for enemies.

During their search Nick and Lt. Griffon came upon a locked room, which aroused their curiosity.

"So what do you think they're keeping in there?" Nick asked.

Lt. Griffon shrugged.

"Only one way to find out," Nick said. "If you can't open a door, make your own."

Nick clasped his hands together and then placed them on the wall next to the locked door. Blue sparks erupted around his hands and a new door appeared beside the old one.

"Nice one," Lt. Griffon said.

Nick smirked and grabbed the door knob. He opened the door and the two of them stepped inside the room. They entered a brightly lit room, which was filled with research equipment and occupied by the five missing alchemists.

"Jackpot," Nick said. "Lt. Griffon you stay with them while I go out and secure the rest of the building."

"Yes sir," Lt. Griffon said.

Nick nodded and left the room.

"Who was that kid?" one of the alchemists asked, turning to face Lt. Griffon who was watching the door that Nick had just exited. "And why did you call him sir?"

"His name is Nick," Lt. Griffon said. "And like you he's a State Alchemist, which makes him my superior."

The alchemist stared after the boy. "That little boy is a State Alchemist?"

Lt. Griffon's eyes widened and he felt compelled to warn the group of alchemists before they made a huge mistake and said something like that in Nick's presence. "Don't **EVER** say that in front of him if you know what's good for you. He's uh sensitive about his height and that's putting it mildly."

"I'll keep that in mind," the alchemist said and his fellows all nodded. They too were making a mental note not to call Nick short.

Now that he was on his own Nick was able to cover ground much faster, since the only person he had to worry about now was himself and therefore he could take more risks. This was the way that Nick preferred to operate and he planned to remind Mustang of this fact as soon as he returned to Central.

During his search Nick ran into Lt. Sanders and Sgt. Knight, whom he gave directions to the room where Lt. Griffon and the alchemists were waiting and ordered them to go there.

The soldiers both nodded and left.

_"Okay," _Nick thought to himself as he watched the two officers leave. _"Now that they're all out of the way I can find Sloth."_

Nick had carefully watched the men who had ran from the building earlier and Sloth hadn't been among them.

_"Where are you?" _Nick thought to himself as he searched the abandoned building for signs of the homunculus.

"Looking for me pipsqueak?" a cold voice called out behind him as he turned a corner.

Nick whirled around and came face to face with Sloth, who had a stunned expression on his face. "Surprised to see me?" the boy asked with a smirk, shifting into a fighting stance.

"How the hell did you get back here?" Sloth demanded.

"I had some help," Nick said, a smug look on his face. "Help I think I should thank you for."

"What the hell are you talking about boy?" Sloth demanded.

"It's not what," Nick said calmly. "but who."

Sloth's gaze narrowed. "You'd better start making sense boy."

"Greed," Nick said simply.

Sloth's eyes widened.

Nick smirked. "You shouldn't have tossed Greed into the Gate. By doing that you provided me with the means I needed to insure my return to this world and you gave her a reason to help me. Thank you."

Sloth roared with rage and rushed toward the boy.

Nick quickly clasped his hands together, transmuting his auto-mail into a blade.

The boy fought the homunculus for awhile and Sloth quickly discovered that the boy had improved his fighting style, much to his dismay. He hadn't expected this and he wasn't prepared for it.

"Dammit," Sloth cursed. "Where are those useless guards when I need them?"

"I'm sure my troops have taken them out by now," Nick said with a smirk, thoroughly enjoying the expression of disbelief on Sloth's face.

"What are you talking about?" Sloth said. "You don't have any troops. I know for a fact that you always work alone."

"Not this time," Nick said, thoroughly enjoying himself. "This time I brought along a whole battalion. Can't be to careful you know."

"Damn," Sloth cursed again. He shoved Nick up against a wall, knocking the wind out of the boy temporarily, and ran.

"Grrr," Nick growled, as the homunculus fled. He briefly debated following but quickly decided against that course of action. "You will pay," Nick muttered under his breath.

Nick made his way back to the room where the alchemists had been kept. When he reached the room he saw that Lts Gray and Fox had joined the others.

"The guards are tied up outside," Lt. Gray said when Nick walked through the door.

"Good work," Nick said.

Nick walked around the room, examining the contents. Based on the type of equipment he saw in the room Nick concluded that Sloth and his companions had captured the alchemists in order to have them forge a Philosopher's Stone.

Having reached that conclusion, Nick questioned the alchemists in order to find out exactly how much they knew about their captors and what they were being forced to do.

Thankfully the alchemists knew very little about either. They knew that their captors were researching the Philosopher's Stone but, like most people they believed the legendary stone to be merely a myth. And they said nothing about homunculi, which Nick was incredibly thankful for.

Nick turned to face his troops. "Good job everyone. Mission accomplished."

The five soldiers all saluted.

"Okay," Nick said. "Let's collect the prisoners and head back to town."

The sun was appearing over the horizon by the time Nick and his troops arrived back at the center of town. The small town had an equally small military outpost and the soldiers from Central turned their prisoners over to them, along with a brief description of their crimes.

Then they made their way to the hotel. The group quickly gathered up the few belongings that they'd brought north with them and then they made their way to the train station, to find out when the next train bound for Central would be leaving.

* * *

The train ride to Central had taken forever but now it was finally over. The whistle blew as the train lurched to a stop at Central Station.

"Finally," Nick muttered as he stood up. Nick jumped up and grabbed his suitcase from the luggage rack and then quickly looked around to see if any of his troops would be stupid enough to laugh at the fact that he'd just had to jump for it.

None did. Even the rescued State Alchemists seemed to know better.

Once everyone had disembarked from the train Nick led the way to Central HQ. His troops followed him obediently and the five State Alchemists brought up the rear.

When the group arrived at Central HQ they went directly to Fuhrer Mustang's office.

"Uh Fullmetal, sir," Lt. Gray said nervously. "I'm sure that the Fuhrer's extremely busy. Don't you think that we should inform someone else that we've returned to Central?"

"No I don't," Nick replied. "Mustang's the one who sent us on that mission and I'm not reporting to anyone but him."

And with that Nick proceeded to unceremoniously pound on Mustang's door.

"Enter," they heard a voice call out from within.

Nick thrust open the door and entered the office but halted abruptly when he noticed that no one was following him. He walked back over to the door, stuck his head out into the hallway and hissed, "Get your asses in here or Mustang will be the least of your worries."

The soldiers reluctantly obeyed.

Mustang watched the group walk toward him, an amused smirk on his face. _"That boy definitely has a different style of leadership."_

When they reached the Fuhrer's desk Nick's troops, plus the five State Alchemists, jumped to attention and saluted. However Nick once again chose a more relaxed stance.

"Mission accomplished."

Mustang surveyed the group, immediately noticing the weary and haggard look of the five alchemists. "I want all of you to go to the military hospital and get evaluated. And Lt. Gray, I want you to accompany them there."

The six men saluted and left the office.

Mustang turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Well done everyone. You are all dismissed. Except you Fullmetal, I need a word with you."

The four remaining soldiers saluted and then left the office.

Mustang gestured toward the chair in front of his desk and once Nick was seated he looked the boy straight in the eyes. "So tell me Fullmetal, what exactly happened in the North?"

"Those alchemists were all captured by the homunculi."

Mustang's eyes widened. "Do they know that?"

Nick shook his head. "After we rescued them they told me that they were captured by alchemists who were researching the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently the homunculi captured them in the hopes that one of them would be able to forge a Stone."

"But they weren't able to."

Nick heard the slight note of worry in Mustang's voice and shook his head once again. "No. None of them were able to work out exactly how to do it and I think that the homunculi were about to give up on them."

Mustang was visibly relieved by that news. "Then it's a good thing you found them when you did. Good job Fullmetal, you saved the lives of five men."

"Thank you."

Mustang held a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think this particular success warrants more than a mere thank you. I think a promotion is in order. And since, as a State Alchemist your rank is already equal to that of a Major, we'll have to bump you up to Lieutenant Colonel."

Nick stared at the Fuhrer, speechless.

Mustang gazed at the boy, who appeared nearly as weary as the rescued alchemists. "I think you've earned a promotion but I also think you've earned a break, so go home and rest pipsqueak."

**"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!!!"**

Mustang rolled his eyes. "Just go home."

Nick stood up and left the office. "Geez, I can't believe that guy. One minute he's complimenting me and the next minute he's insulting me. What did I do to deserve this? This goes way beyond Equivalent Exchange for anything I've done in my life."

Since he'd been ordered to go home Nick left Central HQ and walked the short distance to the Hughes' residence.

* * *

Nick was hanging around Central HQ the next day, doing absolutely nothing, when he saw Kaori walking toward him, a broad smile on her face. She came to stand beside him and gave him a brief hug.

"Hey Nick congratulations! I heard about your promotion."

Nick shrugged. "It's no big deal Kaori."

"Well I think it's wonderful. And Dad told me that they're holding the ceremony a week from today."

"Yay," Nick said, his voice void of emotion. "Sounds fun-filled beyond belief."

"You shouldn't be like that," Kaori admonished. "Anyway I didn't come here to argue about this."

"Then why did you come here?" Nick wanted to know.

Kaori pulled a garment bag from behind her back. "I brought you this. We'll have to alter it though."

"What is it?" Nick arched a brow, his expression filled with suspicion. Nick took the bag from her and unzipped it, revealing a military uniform. He stared at Kaori. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," Kaori said. "Dad thinks you should at least look like a normal member of the military when you get your promotion."

Nick handed the bag back to her. "I don't think so."

"Oh come on Nick, can't you just humor him?"

"No," Nick said.

Kaori's face fell.

Knowing that he'd hurt her feelings, Nick lifted Kaori's chin and gazed into her eyes. "But I will humor you." He took the garment bag back from her and slung it over his shoulder.

Kaori smiled. "Come on. I need you to try it on so that I can see where I need to alter it."

"Fine."

The two kids walked to the men's locker room and Kaori waited in the hall while Nick went inside to change. Ten minutes later Nick emerged, wearing the royal blue uniform, which appeared to be about two sizes too big for him. "Look at this!" Nick exclaimed, staring down at himself. "Can you believe this shit?!"

Kaori's eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"

Nick glared at her.

"I'm kidding Nick," Kaori said quickly. "I think it looks good on you."

"Feh."

Kaori bent down and rolled up the pant legs, pinning them where they would have to be hemmed. Then she did the same thing with the jacket sleeves. "Okay, you can take it off now."

Only needing to hear that once Nick rushed back into the locker room. He soon emerged, looking like himself once again.

Kaori shook her head. "Stop being so dramatic Nick. It's not that big of a deal."

"You know, that's how I feel about this damn promotion but everyone else seems to disagree."

"It is a big deal. Think about it for a minute Nick; you became a State Alchemist at the age of eleven and now you're being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at the age of sixteen. Do you have any idea how many soldiers would give up their right arm to be you?"

Nick shrugged. "The one's called lefty?"

"Wiseass," Kaori said.

Nick smirked. "Better than a dumb ass."

* * *

Nick was at the Hughes' residence a couple of days later when he received a call from Kaori.

Elysia was the one who first answered the phone. "Hello."

"Hi Elysia, this is Kaori. Is Nick around?"

"Yea. Hold on for just a second and I'll go and get him for you." Elysia placed the receiver down gently on the table and then ran down the hall to the study. "Nick, you have a phone call."

Nick put down the book he'd been reading and followed her to the living room. He picked up the phone. "This is Nick."

"Hey Nick," Kaori said. "I need you to come to my house."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Nick said quickly.

"I need you to try on your uniform again," Kaori said impatiently. "And it's just easier if you come here."

"Fine," Nick said. "I'll be there in a little while."

"Thanks Nick."

Nick hung up the phone and turned to face Elysia. "I'm going over to Kaori's house for a little while. If I don't return just mail my stuff to Resembool."

Elysia smiled as Nick slipped on his boots and left the house. "They really do make a cute couple."

When he arrived at Mustang's estate Nick hesitantly knocked on the door.

The door soon opened and Mustang's wife Riza smiled down at him. "Welcome Nicholas, come in. Kaori's waiting for you in the sitting room."

Nick nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind himself.

Hawkeye led the boy down the hall and into a large sitting room. Kaori was sitting on a sofa but jumped to her feet when Nick and her mother walked into the room.

"Here," she said as she handed him the uniform.

"You waste no time do you?" Nick said, taking the uniform from her.

"There's a bathroom just down the hall, last door to your right," Kaori told him. "You can change in there."

Nick nodded and left the room. Five minutes later he returned to the sitting room, once again dressed in the royal blue uniform, which now fit him perfectly. Nick came to stand in front of Kaori, who smiled at him.

"Perfect."

"Well well Fullmetal, you look like a real dog of the military now."

Nick turned to see Mustang standing in the doorway, a smug expression on his face. Nick glared at his superior. "Woof. . .woof woof. Do you want me to wag my tail too?"

Mustang rolled his eyes while Hawkeye and Kaori laughed.

A/N - end of another chapter and this one was long. Hope you enjoyed.


	31. Ascending the Ranks

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-One - Ascending the Ranks**

It was the day Nick's promotion ceremony was to be held and he arrived at Central Command in the early hours of the morning, dressed in the uniform that Kaori had altered for him. The dress uniform had come complete with a hat and when he'd dressed that morning Nick had pulled his long blonde hair up into a ponytail and hidden it beneath the hat.

_"If I'm lucky maybe no one will recognize me," _Nick thought to himself as he left the Hughes' residence. That would at least save him from having to endure the other soldiers' taunts until after the ceremony. That was the best that he could hope for at this point.

When Nick arrived at HQ he found Kaori waiting at the gate for him.

"Good morning," she called out to him as he approached, a broad smile on her face.

"Hi," Nick said glumly.

"Cheer up," Kaori said. "It'll all be over soon and then you can ditch the uniform."

That statement brought a smile to Nick's face. "And it won't be a moment too soon. I can't wait."

Kaori shook her head and sighed. "I don't know why you hate it so much. I think the uniform makes you look handsome. And mature." And without thinking Kaori leaned over and gave Nick a quick kiss on the cheek.

Nick blushed slightly and stepped away. "Keep that up and I'll be all dressed up for a court-martial instead of a promotion."

Kaori chuckled. "You worry too much. Besides, dressed like that I doubt anyone will even know who you are. Because the Nick we all know and love is a nonconformist and everybody knows it."

Nick shrugged but he didn't look at all convinced that what she said was true.

"Oh ye of little faith," Kaori said with a smile. "Come on and I'll prove it."

"Whatever," Nick said, falling into step behind her.

As Kaori led the way across the courtyard they passed several soldiers, none of whom paid the slightest attention to Nick. They simply spoke politely to Kaori and then went on about their business. None of them even acknowledged Nick's presense.

"I guess you were right," Nick reluctantly admitted. "But I just spotted a problem."

"And what might that be?" Kaori wanted to know.

"There's nothing on this uniform that signifies my rank," Nick pointed out. "So if we pass any officers I'm gonna get yelled at for not saluting. And I don't like being yelled at."

Kaori shrugged off this minor problem. "You could solve that problem by simply saluting the officer but no, that's to much to ask from you isn't it? I didn't put an insignia on the uniform because it would have been a waste of time to sew on your insignia only to have it change two days later so I simply left it off. You'll get it today at the ceremony. And if anyone gives you a hard time before then you can just tell them off. You're very good at that after all. And once they hear your tirade that'll be the end of the problem since they'll immediately know who you are. And everyone knows that you don't salute. Anyone, ever. End of story."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks."

"Anytime," Kaori said with a laugh. "Now come on."

The two teens had almost made it to the front door of HQ when they passed by a First Lieutenant that Nick didn't recognize. However he'd encountered soldiers of the same type before and had the distinct feeling that Kaori's theory was about to be put to the test.

"Good morning Miss Kaori," the lieutenant said, bowing politely to the young woman. The man glanced at Nick but then quickly shifted his gaze back to Kaori. "I'm pleased to see that you've finally taken my advice and got yourself a body guard."

_"Something like that," _Kaori thought to herself however she didn't verbally respond to that comment. She merely chuckled and continued toward the entrance to HQ.

Nick started to follow her but stopped short when he heard a stern voice issuing from behind him. "Soldier," the lieutenant snapped. "Show some respect to your superior."

_"Here we go," _Nick thought to himself with a sigh. He'd known this would happen and yet he still refused to tolerate the man's attitude. Nick's gaze swept over the lieutenant briefly and he smirked. "If I see one I'll be sure to keep that advice in mind."

"Impertinent whelp," the lieutenant said angrily. "I'm an MP boy so you'd better watch your smart mouth. Unless you wanna end up in jail that is. And don't think for a second that knowing the Fuhrer's daughter will keep you out of trouble."

The smirk still on his face Nick casually reached into his pocket and pulled out his silver pocket watch. He held it up so that the lieutenant could get a good look at it. "You were saying lieutenant?"

The lieutenant's jaw dropped as his gaze fell upon the chimera and the six pointed star, the symbol of the State Alchemists, and the man immediately jumped to attention and saluted although Nick could tell that he'd rather do just about anything else, including lose a limb or perhaps gouge out his own eyes with a spoon.

Although Kaori was thoroughly enjoying seeing the discomfort of a man she strongly disliked, she knew that she should put a stop to it. So she did so, with great reluctance.

"Come on Nick," Kaori said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling gently.

"Yes ma'am," Nick said, falling into step behind her.

The two teens were only a few feet away from the spot where the lieutenant still stood when Kaori burst out laughing.

"I don't think it's very funny," Nick said in an irritated voice. "I told you that would happen."

"I don't see what the problem is," Kaori said innocently. "You pulled out your watch and voila, problem solved."

Nick shook his head. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Thoroughly."

They'd made it to the door by this time and Nick opened the door and held it so that Kaori could enter the building before him.

"Thanks," Kaori said as she entered HQ.

"No problem," Nick said as he followed her inside.

A few officers, including Fury and Havoc, were standing in the foyer and the group all turned as Kaori and Nick entered. They watched as the two teens walked toward them.

"Hi Miss Kaori," Fury said.

Kaori nodded politely to the officers.

"So who's your new friend Kaori?" Col. Havoc asked. "Better be careful, Nick might get jealous. He's not really the understanding type you know."

Nick glared at his superior from under his hat. "Watch it colonel. I can destroy you, you know."

Col. Havoc's eyes widened. "Why that seemingly well behaved soldier is none other than our own little rogue Fullmetal."

Nick pointed his index finger at Col. Havoc. "You do realize that after today I'll only be one rank below you, right? If you don't watch it I'll be gunning for your job next."

That statement caused a flicker of worry to flash across Havoc's face but he banished it a split second after it appeared. "I'm not worried."

"All the better for me," Nick said, without missing a beat. "If you're not worried then you won't see it coming."

"Careful colonel," Major Fury said. "I think the kid really may be after your job."

Col. Havoc shook his head and when he spoke his voice was full of confidence. "No. Fullmetal hates the military way too much to strive to ascend the ranks. Hell, he wasn't even trying to get this promotion. It just kind of happened."

Nick glared at his superior and again pointed his index finger at the man. "Don't confuse lack of interest with lack of ability."

At that moment another officer walked over and joined the group. Major Somers gaze swept over the group and came to rest on Nick. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing you around Central."

"Yes you have," Col. Havoc said. "Just not in proper military attire. This is the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Major Somers' eyes widened in disbelief. "Never thought I'd see him in a uniform."

Nick growled low in his throat. "I wish everyone would shut up about the damn uniform. You can bet I'll never be caught in one again."

"Somers go away," Col. Havoc said shortly and once the major had stalked away, he turned to Nick. "Calm down Fullmetal, it's not that bad."

"I disagree," Nick said stubbornly.

A/N - Poor Nick, he's never going to live that down. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	32. A Gift From Kaori

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-Two - A Gift From Kaori**

It had been a couple of weeks since Nick had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and after the fuss that Nick had made over wearing the military uniform Kaori had decided to make something for him. It took her the better part of a week to finish the gift and once she had, she made her way to the Hughes' residence. Once she arrived at the large house that Nick occasionally called home she knocked lightly on the door.

A few moments passed and then the door slowly opened. "Hello Kaori," Elicia said cheerfully.

"Hi Elicia," Kaori said, in the same cheerful tone. "Is Nick here by any chance?" She held up the box that she was carrying. "I have something that I'd like to give him."

Elicia nodded. "Yea. He's up in his room, doing research, I think. You can go up and see him if you like."

"Thank you Elicia," Kaori said, stepping into the foyer of the Hughes' house.

"You're welcome," Elicia said as she closed the door.

Kaori made her way up the stairs and down the hall to the room that she knew belonged to Nick. Once there she knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," a soft voice called out.

Kaori opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Hey," Nick called out as he glanced up and saw Kaori walking into the room. "What are you up to?"

Kaori walked across the room and sat down on the edge of Nick's bed. "Well I felt bad about the way things were for you at your promotion ceremony because I made you wear that uniform so I made you a present to make up for it."

"A present?" Nick said, casting a curious glance at the box that Kaori had placed on the bed beside her. "For me?"

"Yes," Kaori said, with a smile. She picked up the box and offered it to Nick.

Nick took the box from her and slowly untied the red ribbon that she had tied around the box. Once the ribbon had been removed Nick lifted the lid of the box and pulled out a jacket. It was made in exactly the same style as the military's everyday uniform but instead of the royal blue with silver trim that the military uniforms came in this jacket was red, trimmed in black. And when Nick turned it around to look at it he saw that it had his sensei's symbol embroidered on the back, in black.

A smirk appeared on Nick's face.

"That's not all," Kaori said.

Nick glanced back down at the box and saw that something else made of red fabric had been under the jacket. He picked it up and found a pair of red pants and a set of red tails trimmed in black. Kaori had made him a new uniform, this one much more suited to his style.

"Thanks Kaori," Nick said. "Now this uniform I might actually wear."

"I thought you'd like it," Kaori said, with a smile. "It goes great with your rebellious streak."

Nick nodded. "I can't wait to wear it and see the looks on their faces."

And as he spoke a smile spread across Nick's face as he imagined the reactions of the military officers when they saw the uniform that Kaori had made for him. Yea, it would be great.

"Well then," Kaori said. "Why don't you put it on and the two of us can pay a visit to Central."

"You know, that's not actually a bad idea. Can you give me a minute?"

Nodding, Kaori stood up and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later Nick emerged, now dressed in his one of a kind uniform. Kaori smiled at the picture he made standing in the hall in the red and black uniform that she had made for him. It really did suit him better than the blue.

"Come on Nick," Kaori said with a smile. "Let's go and have some fun."

Nick nodded and, acting completely out of character, he offered his arm to Kaori. She placed her hand upon his proffered arm, a soft smile lighting up her face, and with that the two of them descended the stairs.

Elicia was in the den and Nick and Kaori went in to tell her goodbye before they left.

"Elicia, I'm leaving," Nick said, as he and Kaori entered the room.

"Okay," Elicia said, turning to face the two kids. "Be care. . ."

Elicia stopped mid sentence as her gaze fell upon Nick. "What in the world are you wearing?"

Nick grinned. "Do you like my new uniform?"

"Fuhrer Mustang's gonna flip when he sees you in that," Elicia said. Then she thought about what she'd just said, and who she'd just said it to. "But that's probably your goal isn't it?"

"More or less," Nick said, still grinning. "But I didn't come up with this ingenious plan to annoy Mustang. It was all Kaori's doing."

Elicia's gaze moved from Nick over to the Fuhrer's daughter. "What brought that on?"

"What?" Kaori said, feigning innocence. "It suits him."

Elicia shook her head. "You two really are a pair of trouble makers."

Nick nodded, not even bothering to deny the accusation. "I'll be back sometime later tonight."

"Okay," Elicia said, thinking to herself that his return would depend on whether or not he managed to get himself court-martialed while he and Kaori were out.

Nick and Kaori soon arrived in Central, still arm in arm, and it wasn't long before they ran into someone they knew. The two teens were walking down the hall when they bumped into Nick's occasional bodyguard, Lt. Griffon.

Lt. Griffon started to offer a greeting to the two teens but stopped short when he got close enough to notice what Nick was wearing. "Nicholas, what the hell is up with that outfit?"

"I'm thinking of starting my own army," Nick said with a smirk. "Wanna join?"

Lt. Griffon shook his head in disbelief as he stared at the boy. "I'm pretty sure that would be considered treason if Fuhrer Mustang heard you."

"I'm pretty sure I don't care," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Of course you don't," Lt. Griffon said. "I don't know what on earth made me think that you would. You'd think after all the time I've spent with you that I'd know better."

"You'd think that," Nick said. "But you never seem to learn."

"I'll work on that," Lt. Griffon said good naturedly. "Well good luck building your private army Fullmetal. I'm going to leave now before I become an accessory to the fact.

"Aww," Nick said as the lieutenant continued down the hall. "You're no fun."

"I know," Lt. Griffon called out over his shoulder, continuing down the hall. "For some strange reason people tell me that all the time."

"I can't believe he didn't want to join my army," Nick said. "Oh well," he said with a shrug as he watched Lt. Griffon's hasty retreat. "His loss. Let's go and see if we can recruit anyone."

Kaori smiled.

Nick led the way down the hall and then came to a stop in front of Col. Havoc's office.

"Nick," Kaori said, a note of warning in her voice.

"Oh come on," Nick said with a smirk. "It'll be fun."

"Fine," Kaori said, shaking her head. "If you must."

Nick's grin widened and he knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Nick quickly opened the door and he and Kaori walked into the office.

Col. Havoc was sitting at his desk, doing paperwork, when the two teens entered the room and he stopped and looked up as they approached. His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon Nick. "What the hell are you wearing Fullmetal?"

"It's my new uniform," Nick said. "I'm fed up with the State Military so I've decided to start my own. You wanna join?"

Nick had fully expected the colonel to immediately refuse his offer, just as the lieutenant had, however Havoc surprised him when he paused, a serious expression on his face as though he was seriously considering the boy's offer.

"Maybe," Col. Havoc said finally.

**"COLONEL!" **Kaori exclaimed.

"What?" Col. Havoc said, an innocent expression on his face. "I've grown attached to my life of luxury and if the kid's hell bent on overturning society then I may as well go along with it. If I don't then I might have to actually do some work."

"This is great," Nick said. "Now I've got support."

Kaori shook her head as her gaze moved from Nick to the colonel. The two of them were impossible and it seemed to her that they both wanted to be court-martialed. And Nick was well on his way toward meeting that goal.

A/N - it's a filler chapter but I enjoyed writing it. I really like Kaori. And as for the red and black military uniform I actually did it as a cosplay and shockingly enough people really seemed to like it. They seemed to like the thoughts of Fullmetal having his own army. Anyway, hope that you enjoyed.


	33. The Secret of Human Transmutation

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter Thirty-Three - The Secret of Human Transmutation

Mustang was sitting at his desk when he heard a knock on the door. By the sound of the knock he knew it wasn't Havoc, who had a tendency to bang on the door as though trying to knock it down. _"Who the hell needs to talk to me this early in the freakin' morning?" _Havoc was the only one who made a habit of annoying him at this time of morning.

"Enter."

The door opened and Nick stepped into the office.

"Fullmetal," Mustang said in surprise, gazing over at young boy who had just entered his office. "You're here early."

Nick nodded. "I needed to ask you something and it couldn't wait."

Mustang leaned forward and folded his hands together. "Shoot."

"I need permission to leave Central for awhile. I have something I need to do and Col. Havoc said that I had to have your direct permission, something about tightened security for State Alchemists or some such nonsense as that."

Mustang shook his head, knowing that he was about to anger the boy. "Sorry kid but I'm afraid that's out of the question. Since it's been established that you are Hunter's prime target I want you to remain in Central where you can be closely guarded."

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Oh come on! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I've survived Hunter's attacks before."

Mustang refused to budge. "That may be true but you're a valuable asset to the military and I want to make sure that you're safe."

"But. . ."

"You remain in Central. And that's an order Fullmetal."

Nick could tell by the tone of Mustang's voice that there would be no persuading him to change his mind. That tone stated, plain as words, that the discussion was over. Nick glared at his superior for a second before he whirled and left the office.

"Dammit," Nick swore under his breath as he left the office. "I can't believe this. I finally get a lead on where the homunculi might be and I'm ordered to remain in Central. This sucks."

Nick walked outside, into the courtyard, and sat down beneath a large tree. He came here often. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Kaori. The spot was a favorite of theirs and they often spent time beneath its branches, just talking.

"I need time to think," Nick said to himself as he sat down beneath the tree.

"What do you need to think about Nick?" a voice asked from behind.

"Hi Kaori," Nick said without looking up.

Kaori sat down beside Nick. "What's on your mind?"

As he debated what his answer should be Nick stuck his hand in his pocket and absently played with his watch. He'd had it for so long that he'd grown accustomed to it's familiar weight. Suddenly making up his mind Nick pulled the watch from his pocket and unclipped the chain from his belt.

"Kaori, I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry Kaori but I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

Nick could tell by the sound of her voice that he'd hurt her feelings but it couldn't be helped. This was something he had to do and he had to do it alone. It was simply too dangerous to involve other people. "Because I don't want anyone to follow me."

Suddenly Kaori understood. "You're not supposed to go are you?"

Nick's gaze went to the ground but he didn't answer Kaori's question.

But Kaori didn't need for him to answer her. She already knew the answer. His body language had given him away as clearly as a verbal confession. "You can't disobey orders Nick. You'll get into big trouble."

"This is something I have to do Kaori, whether I have permission or not. And I have to do it alone. One man has already died because of me and I refuse to let that happen to anyone else I care for. Especially you."

Nick reached out and picked up Kaori's right hand. He turned her hand palm up and placed his silver pocket watch in her hand, closing her fingers around it. Then he kissed the back of her hand.

"Nick. . ."

Nick stood up and gazed down at Kaori. His golden eyes held a look of sheer determination. "I'll end this once and for all Kaori and then I'll come back to you."

And without another word Nick turned and walked away.

Tears slid down Kaori's face as she watched Nick walk away and she clutched his silver pocket watch so hard that the knuckles of that hand turned white_. "I can't believe he's just gonna walk away. Just like that."_

As he walked away Nick refused to look back. He knew that he'd hurt Kaori deeply and for that he was sorry but he was also confident that he'd made the right decision.

_"I can't risk their lives any further. This is my fight and I'll finish it. On my own terms."

* * *

_

Mustang was walking down a hallway in Central HQ, searching for Nick. His anger over their earlier argument had diminished and he had an errand for the boy to run. He was hopeful that the task would be enough to satisfy the boy's desire for something to do and take his mind off his desire to leave.

Mustang searched for nearly an hour but found no sign of the boy. He walked toward his office but stopped at the office that was located just down the hall from his own. He opened the door and stuck his head inside.

"Havoc have you seen Fullmetal?"

"Not recently sir. But he was out in the courtyard with Kaori early this morning so she may know where you can find him."

"Thanks."

Mustang closed Havoc's door and headed off in search of his daughter.

He found Kaori sitting under one of the large shade trees in the courtyard. He paused a few feet away from her and stared at her clenched fists and the tears that slid down her face. Something had obviously upset her greatly because Kaori almost never cried. Over anything.

"Kaori," Mustang called out softly as he walked toward her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Kaori wiped at her eyes furiously with the back of her fist, in a futile attempt to hide from her father the fact that she'd been crying. "I'm fine Dad."

Mustang held a knowing look in his eyes as he sat down beside his daughter, but he said nothing to contradict what she'd told him. She would tell him what was bothering her when she was ready. Until then he would wait.

Kaori forced herself to smile as she glanced up at her dad. "So tell me Dad, what's so important that it could make you stop your important work to come out here?'

"I was looking for Fullmetal," Mustang told her. "And Col. Havoc said that he'd seen the boy out here with you earlier."

"He was with me," Kaori said in a quiet voice. "But you may as well stop looking for him."

"And why is that?"

"He left." Kaori choked on those words but forced herself to continue. "He's leaving Central and he refused to tell me where he plans to go. He made it quite clear that he didn't want to be followed."

**"HOW DARE HE!" **Mustang was furious. He'd expressly ordered the boy to remain in Central where he could be guarded against the homunculi and the State Alchemist Killer but of course the brat had to disobey. "If that boy makes it back to Central alive I'll see him court-martialed for this."

"You won't have to. Nick saved you the trouble."

Kaori held her clenched fist out and when her father stretched out his hand, she unclenched her fist and dropped what she'd been holding into her dad's outstretched hand.

Mustang gasped in shock as Nick's silver pocket watch fell into his outstretched hand.

"He told me that he couldn't endanger us anymore. That one man had already died because of him and he refused to let that happen again." Tears once again flowed down Kaori's face and this time she was unable to suppress them. "He said that he would go and fight them and that he would finish this once and for all."

Mustang's eyes narrowed. _"So the boy plans to fight the homunculi on his own."_ Well Mustang knew how that would turn out. He'd seen it before, when Ed had left the military to fight his own demons, and he knew from those past experiences that Nick was in over his head. Even Ed had had sense enough to know that he couldn't fight them alone.

Mustang stood up. "We have to find him before he gets himself killed."

Kaori gazed up at her dad. "Good luck with that."

"What do you mean 'good luck'? You're coming too."

Kaori gasped. That was the last thing she'd expected to hear coming out of the mouth of her very overprotective father. "Are you serious?"

Mustang nodded. "I realize that I've treated you like a child for too long. You're a talented alchemist and I know that you'll be an asset to us."

Kaori jumped to her feet and gave her dad a hug. She'd waited so long to hear those words. "Thanks Dad."

Mustang returned his daughter's embrace, wishing that he'd told her those words years ago. "You're welcome Kaori. Now come on. We have an AWOL alchemist to track down. Again."

Kaori nodded.

Mustang and Kaori entered Central HQ and quickly walked down the hall toward Mustang's office. And just as before Mustang stopped at the office a few doors down from his own. He opened the door and stuck his head inside the office.

"Havoc let's go. We have a mission and we're leaving ASAP. Meet me in my office."

Havoc jumped to his feet and rushed to follow his superior down the hall to his office.

Once the three of them were assembled in Mustang's office, with the door securely closed, Mustang motioned for everyone to sit down on the two sofas that were positioned across from each other in his office. Kaori sat down on the sofa beside her dad and Havoc sat down across from the two of them.

"Pardon my ignorance sir," Havoc said. "But what exactly is going on?"

Mustang reached into his pocket and pulled out Nick's watch, which he tossed to Havoc. "Your subordinate decided that he'd quit the military and pursue Hunter and the homunculi on his own. And Kaori and I decided that we weren't going to allow that. So where do you stand?"

"Let's go and get him. I worked too damn hard to get him into the military to just let him walk away."

"I thought you'd say that." Mustang turned to face his daughter. "Kaori you're the last person who spoke to Fullmetal. Any clues as to which enemy is his main objective?"

Kaori thought back to her last conversation with Nick. "He's going after the homunculi. He's told me before that Hunter would be less of a threat and easier to take down once the homunculi were out of the picture, since he'll no longer have their protection. So I'm positive that they're his primary target."

"Okay, that we can work with. Havoc, have you been keeping track of the places where Fullmetal has encountered the homunculi?"

"Yes sir." Havoc jumped to his feet and dashed out of the office. He returned moments later, clutching a map. Havoc sat back down and spread the map out across the table that was positioned between the two couches. Various locations on the map had been highlighted.

Havoc pointed out the cities one by one. "These are all the places where Fullmetal told me that he encountered the homunculi. Whether it's a complete list I couldn't tell you but it's the best I can offer. However I'm not sure that this will be of any help in locating the boy. I've studied this map countless times but I've been unable to find a pattern. The homunculi just seem to pop up in completely random places. The places I've marked don't seem to mean anything."

"Not alone perhaps." Mustang stood up and walked over to his desk. He opened the top, right hand drawer and pulled from it's depths a rolled up piece of paper. He then walked back over to the sofas where his daughter and subordinate sat.

Mustang unrolled the piece of paper, revealing another map similar in appearance to Havoc's. "This may help us to sort things out."

Havoc leaned closer to the table and gazed down at the second map, which also had various locations highlighted. "What is it sir?"

"I've been doing my homework as well. These are all the known locations where Fullmetal has encountered Hunter. Kaori helped me with this particular project but even that doesn't ensure that the info is one hundred percent accurate or complete. I have the same problem with Nick that you do, Havoc. That boy is too secretive for our own good. However I think we have enough information to prove useful."

Havoc's face brightened. "You're the man sir! That was a great idea. Since we know that Hunter and the homunculi are working together we can compare the two maps and see how many of the locations are present on both."

Mustang nodded. "That's the master plan."

Kaori leaned close to the table and gazed at the two maps. As she studied the maps she saw that three of the towns were highlighted on both Havoc's map and Mustang's.

A knowing look appeared in Kaori's eyes. "I know where he's going."

Both men turned to stare at the young girl. "You do?"

Kaori nodded. "I had thought about it before but I wasn't sure. But now that I've seen both maps I'm certain that my earlier hunch was correct."

Kaori placed her index finger on a spot on Havoc's map. "Nick's on his way to Kai."

"How can you be so sure?" Mustang wanted to know. "There are two other cities where Fullmetal fought both Hunter and the homunculi. So why are you so certain that he's going to Kai?"

Kaori took a deep breath. "I know because along with having fought the homunculi there, Nick's fought Hunter there multiple times."

**"WHAT?!"**

Kaori winced and avoided her dad's intense gaze. "I'm sorry Dad but he made me promise not to tell anyone and I kept that promise because I didn't wanna get him into trouble. He was in trouble enough as it was."

Havoc growled low in his throat. "I told that boy not to go back there."

"True enough," Kaori said. "But you never actually ordered him not to."

"Dammit. After this I'm gonna have to make a detailed list of all the places that boy can't go."

Mustang interrupted Havoc's bitching. "Havoc, go and call Edward. Tell him to haul ass to Central and we'll leave for Kai as soon as he arrives."

Havoc was surprised by this strange and completely unexpected order from the Fuhrer but he nodded and stood up. He walked over to the phone and dialed Ed's number.

After a few rings the phone on the other end was picked up and a feminine voice came over the line. "Rockbell Auto-mail, prosthetic limb outfitters."

"Still going by your maiden name Winry?"

Winry recognized the voice immediately. She and Ed had corresponded regularly with the colonel ever since Nick had joined the military. "Of course Havoc, but it's strictly for business. I worked hard to make that name famous throughout the country and I'm not gonna let all that hard work have been for nothing."

"I see. So is Ed around?"

"Oh I see how you are. Don't want to talk to me huh? What, am I not good enough for you?"

Suddenly afraid that he'd offended her, Havoc said quickly, "No that's not it Winry, I swear."

Winry's laughter came across the phone line. "It's okay Havoc; I was just messing with you. Hold on for a minute and I'll get Ed."

The line was silent for about a minute and a half and then a new voice came over the line.

"What do you want Havoc?"

"Well that's a hell of a way to greet someone."

"That's exactly the way you greet someone who never gives you anything but bad news."

"Well my perfect record shall remain untarnished. You need to come to Central right now."

"Why? What's the matter?" Ed's voice was laced with fear.

"Nick's gone after the homunculi."

"I'm on my way."

After that the line went dead.

Havoc replaced the receiver and then he rejoined Mustang and Kaori on the other side of the room. "Ed's on his way," Havoc said as he took his seat across from Kaori and Mustang.

"Good. Maybe by the time he arrives we'll have a plan for this mission."

* * *

The next day Ed arrived in Central and as soon as he got there he rushed to Central HQ. Ed entered the building and quickly walked down the hall toward Mustang's office. When he reached the office he flung open the door, without bothering to knock.

"Welcome Ed."

Ed walked toward Mustang's desk. "How could you let him go after the homunculi?"

Mustang glared at Ed. "I didn't **LET** him do anything. He disobeyed a direct order to remain in Central."

"Damn. Do you have any idea where he's going?"

"As a matter of fact we do. Havoc and I have been keeping detailed records of the locations where Nick fought the State Alchemist Killer, Hunter and the homunculi. We compared maps when we learned that Nick had left and with Kaori's help we determined that Nick was most likely on his way to Kai."

"I see. So when do we leave?"

"I wasn't sure exactly how quickly you'd be able to get here so I booked tickets for the four of us on the train that's scheduled to depart tomorrow."

"Okay."

Ed walked closer to Mustang's desk and offered the older man his hand.

Confused by what had sparked the uncharacteristic gesture Mustang took Ed's hand and shook it.

"Thank you for including me in this."

Mustang nodded. _"I couldn't very well leave him out of it," _he thought to himself. _"Even if I'd wanted to. I've grown rather fond of breathing over the years and I'd like to continue to do so."_

Ed sat down in the chair in front of Mustang's desk. "So tell me, why exactly are you so sure that Nick's headed for Kai? Not that I doubt your judgment or anything," he hastened to add after Mustang gave him an offended look.

"Kaori is the one who told us that was his most likely destination. She and Nick have spent quite a bit of time together and during this time she's learned that both Hunter and the homunculi have special ties to the city of Kai."

"I see." A thoughtful and somewhat sad expression appeared on Ed's face.

"What's on your mind Edward?"

"This is all my fault."

"How so?"

Ed looked up at Mustang, his golden eyes full of guilt. "If only I'd told him what happened to me and Al sooner then none of this would have happened. I could have prevented it and I didn't."

Mustang sighed. "And if your father or your sensei had told you that they had attempted and failed human transmutation then you and Al wouldn't have repeated their mistakes. So the blame doesn't rest solely on your shoulders Edward."

Unused to this more understanding side of Mustang, Ed was at a loss for words.

Early the next morning Ed, Mustang, Havoc and Kaori boarded a train bound for Kai.

_"I hope we're on the right track with this assumption," _Havoc thought to himself as he and the others boarded the train.

The others in the group were all having similar thoughts as the train pulled away from the station in Central but no one voiced their concerns out loud. It was as though speaking them out loud could somehow make them truer.

* * *

The train ride to Kai took the better part of the day and when they arrived the sun was low on the horizon.

"Okay we're here," Havoc said. "Now how do we go about locating Fullmetal?"

Mustang arched a brow. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Well that's helpful."

"Shut up Havoc. I can't think of everything."

"Stop fighting you two," Ed said, for once deeming it prudent to be the responsible adult of the group, a rarity with him. "Let's go about this logically. The homunculi want the Philosopher's Stone and we already know that in order for them to create it they need live humans in mass numbers. So all we have to do is find a heavily populated area."

Kaori gasped. Now that she knew what they were after and what they needed to accomplish that goal, she knew exactly where they would have to go in order to make it happen. "The orphanage!"

"Ah hell!" Mustang exclaimed. "Come on. We have to hurry."

The others nodded and the group rushed toward the village orphanage.

* * *

Nick had traveled all the way from Central City to Kai in pursuit of the homunculi and after a lengthy searched he'd finally found them. And now he was at their mercy. The fight hadn't started out so decidedly one sided but the homunculi had taken the advantage when they'd taken a hostage. As Nick fought Lust and Wrath, Sloth grabbed Maiyumi by the arm. The captured young girl screamed, instantly gaining Nick's attention.

"Stop fighting Fullmetal boy or the girl will suffer."

Nick glared at the homunculus, his hand-blade still upraised. "Damn you!"

Sloth sneered. "We're already damned. So tell me, what'll it be runt, your life or hers?"

The blade transformed back into Nick's auto-mail arm.

"Good choice." Sloth turned to his cronies. "Gather the children."

Lust and Wrath nodded and left to carry out their orders.

One hand still gripping Maiyumi's arm, Sloth walked over to Nick. "Now Fullmetal boy, you will finally prove useful."

Nick arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Sloth turned toward the door as Lust and Wrath herded the orphanage's inhabitants into the cafeteria. Only a few children, including Maiyumi, had been in the cafeteria when the homunculi had attacked but Wrath and Lust had managed to quickly round up the rest of them. "You, my friend are going to create the Philosopher's Stone."

Nick gasped as he recalled what his dad had told him about the Philosopher's Stone that day in Central. He gasped as the realization of what the homunculi planned to do hit him. "You can't possibly expect me to use these children as material to create a Philosopher's Stone."

Sloth smirked. "That's exactly what I expect you to do."

"There's no way in hell!"

Sloth's grip tightened on Maiyumi's arm, making the girl wince in pain.

"Stop!"

"I'll stop when I'm holding the Philosopher's Stone."

Nick crossed his arms over his chest. "I refuse."

"Oh you will make the Philosopher's Stone for us Fullmetal."

Nick turned at the sound of the new and unfamiliar voice and saw a tall young woman standing in the doorway. The woman was giving him a look of utmost contempt. "Who the hell are you?"

"Show some respect to our leader pipsqueak. Pride is the only reason we haven't killed you yet."

Nick's eyes narrowed. "Pride. So you're the leader of this depraved group."

"Correct. Now you will create the Philosopher's Stone for us. Because even if you refuse everyone will die, including you and that girl you seem so attached to. However if you do as you're told we will allow both you and the girl to leave unharmed."

Nick bowed his head in defeat.

Sloth tossed the boy a chalk pencil. "Start drawing."

Nick caught the chalk pencil that Sloth tossed to him and began to draw the array required to make a Philosopher's Stone.

Sloth's eyes widened. "You already know how to draw the array for the Philosopher's Stone?"

Thinking back on the day he'd read some private files that had been kept by General Hughes, Nick nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, yes. I raided some private files and found it."

"Nice going kid. Now get to work."

"Don't do it Nick!" Maiyumi screamed.

Nick ignored the girl's pleas and began to draw the array. But as he worked he silently plotted his escape. _"Somehow I have to get all the orphans out of this alive."_

When the array was complete Nick slowly got to his feet.

Lust and Sloth herded the orphans onto the array while Nick stood by and watched, a horrified expression on his face.

"Don't worry Fullmetal boy," Sloth said. "It'll all be over soon."

"You're right about that."

The homunculi watched hopefully as Nick clasped his hands together. But instead of placing his hands on the transmutation circle Nick whirled around and dropped to his knees. Nick placed his hands to the floor and watched as stone spikes shot from the ground. The spikes stabbed an unsuspecting Sloth in the chest.

Sloth screamed and released his grip on Maiyumi, who quickly distanced herself from the injured homunculus.

"Maiyumi, take the others and run!"

Maiyumi nodded and began to quickly herd the other kids toward the exit.

Lust and Wrath made a move to prevent the children's escape but Nick blocked their path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Fullmetal!"

Nick whirled around at the sound of the new voice, ready for a fight. But he hesitated when he saw a young girl standing in front of him. Nick's eyes widened in horror.

That slight hesitation cost him dearly. The boy suddenly felt a flesh searing pain in his back and gasped in horror as three thin, black spikes shot from his chest. Nick turned his head slowly and saw Lust standing behind him.

Lust retracted her claws and Nick screamed in pain as they were ripped from his body. The boy fell to the ground and a pool of blood quickly formed under his body.

"Now what do we do Pride?" Sloth asked.

The young girl walked over to the spot where Nick lay in a pool of his own blood. She knelt down and grabbed Nick's jaw, turning the boy's face toward her. "You should have done as you were told Fullmetal but no matter. We'll simply have to find another alchemist to create the Stone. But it's a shame. You were the most talented alchemist that we had to work with. Such a waste."

With that Pride released her grip on the boy.

* * *

Mustang and his group were making their way quickly toward the orphanage when they saw a large group of children running toward them. Mustang motioned for the children to stop but only one obeyed.

Maiyumi came to a stop. "Fuhrer Mustang!"

"Calm down and tell me what you were all running from."

"It was horrible," Maiyumi gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "These strange people wanted to use us to make a Philosopher's Stone, whatever that is."

"So Kaori was correct," Mustang said. "So tell me, how did you all manage to escape?"

"Nick saved us," Maiyumi said.

"So Nicholas is here," Ed said.

Maiyumi nodded. "But he needs help because he's grossly outnumbered and he's all alone."

That was all the group needed to hear. They took off running, toward the orphanage.

"Pride!"

"What is it Wrath?"

"We should leave this place. Those damn kids escaped and they'll probably bring reinforcements."

"Wrath has a valid point," Pride said. "Let's go before someone crashes the party."

Sloth glanced down at Nick. "What about the runt?"

"Leave him," Pride ordered. "He's a goner and no longer of any use to us."

Sloth nodded and the four homunculi fled the orphanage.

The orphanage was eerily silent when Mustang and his group arrived. "Careful everyone," Mustang whispered.

The group entered the orphanage through the front door and once inside they were shocked to find, nothing.

"Let's split up," Mustang suggested.

The others nodded and each set off in a different direction.

Kaori walked down the hall, toward the cafeteria, and when she entered the large room she was horrified by

what she saw. Kaori barely suppressed a scream as her gaze fell upon Nick, who lay on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Oh please no."

Kaori ran over and dropped to her knees beside Nick. She grabbed his left hand, and although it was still warm there was no pulse. She stared at the horrific wounds in the boy's chest and even though in her heart she knew that no one could survive such extensive injuries she refused to accept the fact that Nick was gone.

"He's not dead," Kaori whispered, shaking her head. She absolutely refused to accept that fact. "He can't be."

She placed her first two fingers to the side of Nick's neck but was still unable to find a pulse.

Kaori picked up Nick's hand again, as though to check for a pulse, but instead of placing her fingers to his wrist she raised his hand and held it against her cheek.

"No, it can't end like this."

A strange, far-away look appeared in Kaori's eyes.

"Human transmutation."

Kaori's thoughts flashed back to the day Nick had returned from the other side of the Gate. It had been the day of Lt. Col. Breda's funeral and Nick had showed up at the cemetery toward the end of the ceremony. Once the service was over Nick had returned to Central HQ with Kaori and her dad and had answered questions about where he'd been for the last year and a half.

Once Mustang was satisfied with Nick's story he allowed the boy to leave. Nick and Kaori had went out into the courtyard and sat down beneath their favorite tree. The two kids spent awhile catching up and then somehow the topic of conversation had turned to human transmutation.

Kaori couldn't remember how exactly the topic of conversation changed to that of human transmutation but that was when Nick had told her about the new theory on human transmutation that he'd developed after traveling to the other side of the Gate.

"Kaori, I have a new theory on human transmutation," Nick told her. "While I was on the other side of the Gate I learned that their world and ours are connected through alchemy. Lives lost on that side of the Gate are summoned to this world and used by alchemists as fuel for transmutations. When I learned that I began to rethink my theory on human transmutation and the equivalent exchange it would take in order to bring someone back to life. One would assume that a life would have to be forfeited but I now believe that you could, in theory, give up the use of alchemy in exchange for someone's soul. Because you are, in a sense, giving life for life. If you gave up alchemy you would no longer be manipulating lives from the other side of the Gate."

Kaori stared at Nick. "So do you plan to test your new theory?" There was a slight trace of fear in her voice.

Nick shook his head. "No. Although I can't say that I haven't been tempted I now know that even though I may possibly have the power I have the responsibility not to do it."

Kaori's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Nick nodded. "Death is a natural part of life and even though I tried it once I now know that humans shouldn't try to play God."

Kaori nodded.

Nick grabbed Kaori's hand. "I told you this because you're important to me but I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone else about it. Not even your dad."

"I promise."

Kaori had kept that promise. She hadn't uttered a word about what Nick had confided in her that day. In fact, up until now she hadn't even thought about his theory on human transmutation. But now the words that Nick had spoken to her were coming back to haunt her in full force.

A determined look appeared in her eyes. "I refuse to let it end this way."

Kaori dipped her fingers in Nick's blood and drew the symbol that she used for transmutations on the back of her hand. Then she clasped her hands together and placed them on Nick's chest.

Blue lights swirled around them for a few minutes and then abruptly disappeared. Kaori dropped to the ground and lay there gasping for breath, her face ghostly pale.

Kaori was gazing up at the ceiling, wondering whether the transmutation had failed, when she heard a gasp and then a cough. She turned her head and gazed over at Nick, whose chest was now rising and falling rhythmically. And better still, the fatal wounds were no longer on his chest and the blood that had coated the floor beneath his body was gone.

Kaori glanced down at her hand and saw that the transmutation circle that she'd drawn with Nick's blood was no longer there. She sat up and pulled out her necklace, which had the same array as the one she'd drawn on her hand and attempted a transmutation.

Nothing happened.

Kaori smiled. "It worked," she said softly.

At that moment Nick's eye lids fluttered and after a few seconds his eyes slowly opened. The boy stared up at Kaori, a stunned expression on his face.

"Here's the test," Kaori thought to herself. "This will determine whether I brought the real Nick back."

She grinned down at the boy. "So pipsqueak, how are you feeling?"

Nick's eyes narrowed and he sat up quickly. **"DON'T CALL ME A PIPSQUEAK!! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD..."**

"Nick." Kaori's voice was filled with relief and she moved closer to Nick and hugged him fiercely.

"What the hell is going on?" Nick stared down at his chest, which bore no sign of the horrific wounds that he had suffered. "I thought I was dead."

Kaori bowed her head, feeling slightly guilty. "You were. I transmuted your dead body."

Nick's eyes darted to Kaori and he searched her body for any obvious signs of injury. "Are you okay?"

Kaori smiled at his concern. "I'm fine."

"So how did you do it?"

"I used your theory. I gave up alchemy," Kaori told him. "I knew that I shouldn't but my heart wouldn't allow me to simply walk away without at least trying to do something. I had to at least make an attempt to save you."

Nick gazed at Kaori, a serious expression on his face. "Tell no one what you have done."

Kaori nodded. "Hadn't planned on it."

Nick clasped his hands together and placed them to his torn black shirt. There was a flash of blue light and the fabric mended instantly. "There. Now the evidence of what happened is gone."

Kaori got to her feet and then offered Nick her hand. Nick took the hand that she offered him and Kaori helped him to his feet. "Come on Nick. Let's go find the others."

"Who else is here?"

"Dad, Col. Havoc and your father."

"Shit!" Nick swore. "That's one hell of a lineup. You may have brought me back for nothing."

"Nuh uh," Kaori said. "That would seriously piss me off. I didn't give up the use of alchemy in order to restore you to life just so they could kill you."

Nick offered her a smile but it was strained.

"Are you mad at me Nicholas?"

Nick shook his head. "No, I'm not mad. But I do feel slightly guilty that you gave up alchemy so that I could have a second chance that I didn't deserve. I will admit that upsets me somewhat."

Kaori placed a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder. "Don't think like that. It wasn't time for you to die yet. You haven't fulfilled your mission yet."

Kaori didn't give voice to the thoughts that were running in her head however she hoped that she would one day be able to tell Nick exactly what he meant to her. The choice between saving his life and keeping her ability to use alchemy had been the easiest choice she'd ever made and yet even though she wanted to Kaori found herself unable to share that with Nick.

_"Someday," _she thought to herself. _"Someday I'll have the courage to tell him."_

Nick and Kaori walked down a hallway, to the library, and that's where they found Ed.

"Nicholas!" Ed exclaimed at the sight of his son. He quickly walked the few steps that separated them and pulled the boy into his arms.

Nick pulled away after a few seconds. "It's good to see you too Dad."

The touching father-son moment was interrupted when the group heard footsteps. They all turned toward the door and watched as Havoc entered the library. "I heard a lot of noise coming from this vicinity and so I came to check it out."

Havoc's gaze came to rest on Nick and he walked over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see that you haven't gotten yourself killed Fullmetal."

Nick smiled wryly, inwardly smirking at the irony of that statement. Oh if only they knew. "Thanks to Kaori. If she hadn't shown up when she did I'd be a goner."

"So what happened to the homunculi?" Col. Havoc asked.

"They ran off when they heard you guys approaching," Nick replied. As he spoke Nick silently wondered whether or not he was lying to his superior. Since he'd technically been dead at the time Nick wasn't exactly sure what had caused the homunculi to flee but he wasn't about to tell Havoc that.

"Well," Havoc said. "I guess we'd better go and find Mustang. And Nick, a piece of advice; brace yourself."

Nick nodded. "Yea, I thought it'd be like that."

"So where is Dad?" Kaori wanted to know.

Ed's gaze went to the ceiling. "I heard footsteps overhead a few minutes ago so my guess is that he's up in the attic."

"Alright," Havoc said. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"

The others nodded and since he'd once spent some time there they allowed Nick to lead the way. Nick groaned inwardly as he led the way toward the staircase that led up to the attic. _"This will not be pleasant."_

As though she sensed his inner turmoil, Kaori walked up and took Nick's hand into her own. "It won't be that bad."

Nick appreciated her attempt at cheering him up but he wasn't stupid. He'd disobeyed a direct order from the Fuhrer himself and he knew that Mustang was pissed.

When they reached the stairs, Nick hung back.

Ed, sensing his son's dread and understanding it completely, took the lead and the group began its ascent.

Mustang was searching the large attic, which was divided into several, separate storage rooms, when he heard the sound of someone climbing the stairs. He quickly pulled a white glove from his pocket and then pulled it onto his right hand, at the same time walking toward the stairs.

"Identify yourself!"

Ed poked his head up into the attic, with his hands upraised. "It's just us Roy, calm down."

Mustang visibly relaxed. "Did you find anything?"

Ed grabbed Nick by the arm and pulled him up the stairs, into the attic. "We found a runaway."

Mustang's eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on Nick.

Ed knew that look, he'd been the target of that particular gaze many times himself. And nothing good had ever happened when he'd gotten that look. He felt sorry for his son, but not sorry enough to stick around. "And on that note, I think the rest of us will leave. We'll be downstairs if you need us."

_"Cowards," _Nick thought bitterly as he watched Ed, Havoc and Kaori hurry back down the stairs.

"Nicholas!"

Nick snapped to attention at the sound of Mustang's voice but his golden eyes maintained their usual look of defiance. And he didn't miss the fact that the Fuhrer had called him by his given name instead of his military nickname.

Mustang walked over to the spot where Nick stood, his right hand inside his pocket. "Lt. Col. Nicholas Elric. . ."

Nick braced himself for the worst.

Mustang pulled his hand from his pocket and offered it to Nick. Confused, Nick held out his hand. Mustang took Nick's outstretched hand and placed his silver pocket watch in his upturned palm. "Next time you go after the homunculi, make sure you take backup."

And with that Mustang walked away, leaving a stunned Nick standing with his mouth hanging open. Mustang was halfway down the stairs before Nick snapped out of his daze. He quickly put the watch in his pocket and ran to catch up.

As he ran to catch up with his superior Nick inwardly marveled at what had just happened. He had, in essence, gotten away with disobeying a direct order from the Fuhrer and he wasn't exactly sure why Mustang had let him off the hook with just the simple reprimand about backup.

_"That was weird," _Nick thought to himself as he caught up with his superior.

Ed, Havoc and Kaori were all leaning against a wall in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs when Mustang and Nick descended the stairs. Havoc glanced curiously at Nick, a questioning look on his face.

Mustang cleared his throat, instantly gaining the groups' full attention. "Fullmetal's disobedience has been dealt with and is not to be spoken of again."

Ed's face remained stoic but inside he was beaming. The two of them had finally come to terms with one another. _"Hell, maybe there's hope for the two of us yet."_

"Hurry up Edward or we'll leave you here."

Ed gave Mustang the single finger salute. _"Scratch that last thought. Some things are just too much to hope for."_

Abandoning his thoughts Ed caught up with the rest of the group and together the five of them left the orphanage. Ed was at the tail end of the group and as they walked Nick fell back until he was even with his dad.

"Dad."

"What is it Nick?"

"When I first learned of all the things that you'd kept from me about your past I was pissed. There were so many things that you'd hidden from me that I thought I had a right to know about and although I did learn about them in time it was never you who revealed the secrets to me. It was always someone else and that only increased the anger that I felt."

"I know," Ed said. "And I'm sorry for. . ."

"I wasn't finished," Nick said, interrupting his dad's attempted apology. "I was angry but not now. Now I understand that you were only trying to protect me. And now that I've faced all the homunculi together I know that you only did what you did out of love. I understand now. And I'm sorry for any disrespect that I've shown you over the years."

Ed smiled. He hadn't even dared hope that he might hear those words and they meant the world to him. "No Nicholas, I'm the one who should apologize. I should have told you everything but I had this foolish desire to protect you, even after you ceased to be a child. For that I will always feel guilty. Forgive me."

"I forgive you," Nick said.

A/N - wow, that was a long chapter and I killed my main character. Oh the horror. But then again I seem to do that kind of thing rather a lot. Anyway, hope that you enjoyed, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	34. Vacation

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-Four - Vacation**

Nick was back home in Resembool for a much deserved vacation after his brush with death, or rather his return from death. And Kaori had accompanied him, after much urging from both Winry and Aiya. Kaori had been hesitant when Winry had first invited her to come with them to their home town but of course not even she could stand up to Nick's mother for very long. It simply wasn't possible.

"Kaori," Winry had said, the evening before they were scheduled to depart Central. "You look like you could use a vacation too. Why don't you come with us to Resembool?"

"No I couldn't," Kaori said quickly, shaking her head and holding up her hands as though that would protect her from Winry's powers of persuasion. "I don't want to intrude upon your family time."

"Nonsense," Winry said, never having been one to take no for an answer. "You won't be intruding. The more the merrier."

"Yea," Nick's eleven year old sister Aiya chimed in, taking Kaori by the hand. "Come with us Big Sister. It'll be fun."

Kaori smiled at the little girl but remained hesitant. "I don't know if my parents would like that."

"It's fine," Winry said with a smile. "I already spoke with your mom and she thought that it was a great idea."

It wasn't her mom that she'd been worried about and Kaori opened her mouth to say something along those lines but Winry interrupted her before she could utter so much as a single syllable.

"And she dared your dad to say anything about it."

That comment caused Kaori to erupt into giggles and Nick and Ed both wore matching smirks as though the thought of that amused them both greatly.

"Nick," Kaori said, turning to face him. "Would it bother you if I came with your family?"

"Why would that bother me?" Nick asked with a shrug. "Feel free to come along if you want to."

"Alright then," Winry said with a triumphant look on her face. "That makes it final. You're outnumbered so pack your bags, we leave for Resembool in the morning."

Next thing Kaori knew she was getting off the train in the small village of Resembool, which she had never visited before. She gazed around the open fields, dotted here and there with modest homes.

"Wow," Kaori said, surveying the landscape. "It's beautiful here."

"Yea," Nick said coming to stand beside her. "It's rural, which is a nice way of saying there's nothing going on."

"Nick."

Nick turned to face his dad. "Yea?"

"Aiya, your mother and I are going to go ahead and go home," Ed told his son. "Why don't you show Kaori around Resembool?"

"What's there to show?" Nick asked. He swept his hand around and said, "There it is. That's pretty much all there is to it."

"Nick," Winry said, raising one eyebrow as she gazed at her son.

"Fine," Nick said, grabbing Kaori by the hand. It was obvious that his parents weren't going to stop until he gave Kaori the grand tour so he decided to give up and get it over with. "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour and you can see the sights. What little there are to be seen."

Kaori shrugged and allowed Nick to lead her down the hill, away from the train station.

Winry shook her head as she watched the two teens walk away. "I swear, that boy of yours is impossible."

"Oh," Ed said with a smirk. "So he's reverted to being my son has he?"

"Uh huh," Winry said. "Now come on. We have to get everything set up while Kaori has him occupied."

Ed nodded and he, Aiya and Winry left the train station and made their way back home. They had a lot to do and they had to work fast because there was no way to tell how long Kaori would be able to occupy Nick. However judging by his reaction to the impromptu tour of his home town it wouldn't be an overly long time before he became fed up with it and came home.

Nick led Kaori around Resembool, albeit without much enthusiasm. "I don't know why I'm doing this. There's nothing here to see."

Kaori elbowed him in the ribs. "You really do complain about everything don't you?"

"So I've been told," Nick said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "A lot actually."

Kaori shook her head. "You'd think that would tell you something."

Nick offered her a devilish grin. "You'd think that but you'd be wrong."

Kaori smiled at him but made no further comment.

"I wonder why Aiya didn't want to come with us?" Nick thought aloud, abruptly changing the topic of conversation, as he and Kaori walked. "She usually doesn't miss an opportunity to tag along with me."

Kaori shrugged, fighting hard to maintain a look of innocence. There was actually a very good reason why Aiya hadn't come along with them but Nick wasn't allowed to know about it yet.

"So have you had enough yet?" Nick asked.

"No," Kaori said quickly. They hadn't been gone long enough. "We can't go yet."

"Why not?" Nick wanted to know. "Honestly, what else is there to see?"

"I don't know," Kaori said, her mind racing, searching for a reason why they couldn't go to Nick's house. "But it's such a nice day I just want to be outside."

"Ugh," Nick groaned. "Fine. Come on and I'll show you one more thing."

Kaori was surprised by that comment. "I thought you'd already shown me everything there was to see?"

"Everything within easy walking distance," Nick said with a shrug. "But since you don't wanna go back yet I figured what the hell."

"O-kay," Kaori said, still confused.

"Come on," Nick said.

Kaori shrugged and followed him.

Nick led Kaori over some rough terrain, although it was thankfully on a downhill slope. That would make the return trip more difficult however Kaori was resolutely refusing to think about that part.

The two teens walked in silence for awhile until Nick came to an abrupt halt.

"Is something wrong Nick?" Kaori asked, coming to a stop beside him.

Nick shook his head. "Close your eyes."

Kaori arched a brow, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Just do it," Nick insisted.

Kaori shrugged and closed her eyes.

Nick waved his hand in front of her face a couple of times and then, once he was sure that she wasn't peaking he took her by the hand. Nick led Kaori carefully through a grove of trees and them came to a stop.

"Okay," Nick said. "You can open your eyes now."

Kaori opened her eyes and gasped in delight at the sight that met her gaze. She and Nick were standing on the bank of a river that was flowing so serenely that it barely made a sound. "Nick, it's gorgeous."

Nick, who was gazing at Kaori, nodded his head in agreement. "Yes it is."

Kaori glanced over at her companion and Nick quickly averted his gaze. He stared out across the river, appearing lost in thought.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Kaori said. "The hike was difficult but it was worth it."

"You're welcome," Nick said. "So, now that you've officially seen ALL the sights are you ready to go?"

Kaori nodded. She thought that she'd bought Nick's family enough time to prepare. It was more than likely safe to head to his house now. Plus there was the fact that it would take them at least an hour and a half to walk back.

"Finally," Nick said.

Kaori grinned and shook her head but chose to say nothing. Instead the two teens turned and walked away from the river.

As Nick and Kaori walked toward Nick's house they were greeted by the loud barks of a dog. Kaori gave a small gasp of alarm as a huge shaggy white dog came bounding around the house.

Nick placed a hand on Kaori's shoulder. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. Keeva."

The dog barked again and bounded over to Nick. Keeva sat down beside Nick and rubbed his head against the boy's hand. Nick patted the dog on the head. "It's been awhile huh Keeva? How are you boy?"

Keeva whined.

Kaori stared at the dog.

Nick glanced over at Kaori and couldn't help laughing at the expression on her face. "What is it Kaori?"

"That dog is HUGE."

"Oh he's just an over grown puppy. Aren't you boy?" Nick said, rubbing the fur on the dog's chest. Keeva whined again and flopped over onto his back, his paws sticking up in the air.

Laughing Nick bent down and rubbed the dog's stomach, which had been the dog's plan all along. Keeva growled in pleasure, his tail wagging furiously.

Kaori smiled at the sight of the enormous white dog lying on his back, with all four feet stuck up in the air. "And I thought I had a big dog. This one makes mine look like a lap dog."

Nick grinned and then got to his feet.

Keeva jumped to his feet and walked over to the spot where Kaori stood. Kaori knew a little about dog behavior and she offered the dog her hand. He sniffed the hand that she offered him and then he sat down and lifted his right paw.

Kaori was confused and she gazed over at Nick.

"Shake," Nick said. "He's saying hi."

Kaori smiled and took the dog's paw into her hand. She shook the dog's paw a few times and then released it.

Keeva barked, stood up and walked off.

After the dog walked away Nick surveyed the yard, a curious look on his face. "I wonder where everyone is? Keeva's usually with Aiya, so since he came to meet us she must not be here."

Kaori shrugged.

"They said they were going home when we left them at the train station," Nick said, walking toward the house.

"Yes they did," Kaori said.

"Hmm," Nick said with a shrug. "Maybe they changed their minds."

The two teens had reached the front door by this time and Nick grabbed the door knob and pulled the door open. He and Kaori entered the house, which was dark. "Weird."

Nick led Kaori down the hall to the family room, flipping on the lights as he went. As soon as the lights came on Ed, Winry and Aiya yelled, **"SURPRISE!!"**

Nick's eyes widened and he scanned the festively decorated room. His gaze stopped on a banner hung about the room.

**HAPPY 17****TH**** BIRTHDAY NICK**

"Damn," Nick muttered. "I completely forgot."

Aiya ran over and threw her arms around Nick. "Were you surprised Big Brother?"

"Oh yea," Nick said, wrapping his arms around his little sister. "Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it."

Kaori couldn't help but laugh at Nick's reaction to the little surprise party. "You forgot your own birthday?"

Nick nodded.

"That's sad," Kaori said.

Nick shook his head but said nothing, although as he stared at the colorful banner he silently wondered whether or not this could really be counted as his seventeenth birthday. After all he had technically died. _"I wonder if that means that I've got to start all over again?"_ the boy thought to himself. He really hoped not because that would seriously suck.

"Nick," Winry said, interrupting her son's thoughts.

"Yes," Nick said, looking over at his mom.

Winry had just finished lighting the candles on a large cake and she motioned for her son to come over. "Come and blow out the candles."

"Yea," Ed said, grinning at his son. "Before they catch the place on fire."

"That's right," Kaori said. "Seeing as there are so many of them."

Nick gave his dad 'the look', completely ignored the remark from Kaori and walked over to the table. "Don't you think I'm a little old for this?"

"No," Winry said.

"Fine," Nick said.

Nick took a deep breath and blew out the candles, extinguishing all seventeen with one breath.

"Good job," Winry said. "That means you'll have good luck this year."

"Yea," Kaori said with a grin. "I always knew you were full of hot air."

"That was harsh," Nick said.

"Okay," Winry said. "Sit down everyone and we'll have cake."

"All right," Ed and Nick both said together.

Kaori stared from father to son. The similarities between the two of them were just creepy.

A/N - little filler chapter so that Nick and Kaori could have a bonding moment. Hope that you enjoyed, please review and tell me what you thought.


	35. Attack on Central

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-Five - Attack on Central**

Pride and her cronies had just arrived back from the town of Kai and once they reached the city where they'd been laying low, they quickly made their way to their makeshift base of operations. And as soon as they arrived the group was met by a gray haired man.

"Welcome back," the man said as the group of homunculi entered their headquarters. A look of anticipation appeared on his face as he asked his next question and there was a greedy look in his cold eyes. "Did you get it?"

Pride shook her head. "The boy refused to make the Stone?"

"Refused?" the man asked incredulously. **"REFUSED?!"**

The man took a step toward Pride, who looked less than concerned about his threatening gesture.

"Calm down Hakuro," Sloth said, stepping between Pride and the irate man. "The Fullmetal boy paid dearly for his insolence. Besides, it's not like he was the only alchemist in Amestris."

Hakuro calmed a degree as those words sank in. "That's true enough." A smirk appeared on the man's face as he thought about the young alchemist who's life had been destroyed by their quest for the Stone and also about another alchemist that had come before him. "So HIS son is dead?"

Pride nodded. "Lust saw to that."

The man smiled at those words but it was a twisted smile that held no true happiness. "Well that's a small consolation for loosing the alchemist most likely to forge the stone for us. But there's no point in dwelling on that fact. I think we should move on and find another alchemist with enough talent to forge the Stone and it just so happens I know the perfect one. But in order to acquire this particular alchemist we'll have to make a move on Central itself and face the bulk of the State Military. It's time to go after the Flame Alchemist, Fuhrer Roy Mustang."

The four homunculi were all staring at Hakuro with identical looks of utter disdain.

"Since when do you give us orders human?" Sloth asked with a sneer. "We'll make our own plans concerning the Stone and it's creation."

"I'm the one who taught you how to make the Stone in the first place, you ingrate," Hakuro roared, his face turning a magnificent shade of crimson. "Not to mention the fact that I gave you the red stones that gave you your current bodies. You owe me!"

"**MY ASS**!" Sloth burst out.

Pride held up her hand, to silence her comrade and when silence had been restored she gazed at Hakuro coolly. "His statements were true enough Sloth. Most of them at least. However what he failed to mention was what a truly miniscule role he played in all of this. While it is true that you gave us the stones that gave us our bodies you did it for your own personal gain, thinking that you could use us all as your own personal servants. And it's not as though you put a tremendous amount of effort into this task. All you did was give us stones that you'd stolen from the State Military after the fall of Fuhrer Bradley. And as for the method used to create the Philosopher's Stone, it's not as though you had to use your own brain, everything was already laid out for you. You simply raided Fuhrer Bradley's office before the military cleaned it, looking for any valuables that might have been left behind no doubt and while you were there you stumbled upon notes that had been kept by the Fuhrer; notes that explained the process used in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. This is also how you found out that when given shards of the red stone homunculi could gain a human form."

Hakuro's jaw dropped.

"It's lucky for you that we already have plans for Fuhrer Mustang," Pride said. "So we will be traveling to Central but don't forget who's in charge." At this point, she paused and glared at Hakuro. Then she added in a menacing whisper, "Never forget."

Hakuro's expression was beyond angry but he wisely held his tongue. He was no match for the four homunculi and well he knew it. _"Damn them," _he thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists.

"We are already damned," Pride said calmly.

Hakuro's eyes widened. "You can. . .?"

"Yes," Pride said with an evil laugh. "I can read minds. And I must say yours is both mind numbingly boring and also a short read."

Ignoring the insult Hakuro stared at the homunculus. "So if you can read minds then why do you continue to loose to these two bit alchemists?"

Pride glared at the man. "I'm not a telepath in the traditional sense. I can't hear your thoughts word for word. I merely pick up on strong emotions and those emotions are like words to me."

"Convenient excuse," Hakuro spat out.

"You'd best watch it," Sloth said, pointing a finger at Hakuro. "or we might decide that you've outlived your usefulness."

That comment served its purpose and put a heavy dose of fear into the man.

Sloth surveyed the man's expression with satisfaction. "Now that you've been reminded of your place Hakuro, go and round up your cronies. We want to make a fitting entrance when we pay a visit to the Fuhrer."

Hakuro nodded and left the hideout without another word.

"Now," Pride said, turning to the other three homunculi. "Sloth, I want you to go and find our secret weapon and inform him of our plans. He'll be our back-up plan, just in case that military has-been decides to use his cronies in an uprising."

"Good idea," Sloth said, nodding his head approvingly.

"Glad you approve," Pride said. "Now go."

Sloth nodded and then he too left the makeshift headquarters.

"So Pride," Lust said once their comrade had gone. "Do you really think we can persuade Fuhrer Mustang to help us create the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Of course," Pride said, her voice filled with a confidence that none of the others shared.

"And how do you propose to pull this off?" Wrath wanted to know.

"His daughter," Pride said simply.

Lust and Wrath both stared at their leader in disbelief.

"We know from our surveillance of the Fullmetal boy that Mustang has a young daughter," Pride said, with an evil gleam in her eyes. "Think what Mustang will do should his precious little girl fall into our hands. After all, a parent will do practically anything for their child."

"You've really thought this out, haven't you Pride?' Wrath said.

Pride nodded. This plan had been forming in her mind ever since their last encounter with the Fullmetal boy. After the headstrong young boy had forced them to end his life, Pride had been forced to think up a back-up plan for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. It was then that Pride had remembered that the leader of Amestris was also an accomplished alchemist and better still he had a daughter who could be used to 'persuade' him to cooperate.

This plan would not be easy to carry out however since they would have to take on a large part of the State Military but there were few options left if they hoped to procure the Stone.

"Damn you Fullmetal," Pride swore silently. "If you had just been an obedient little pawn then I wouldn't be going through this right now. I'd have the Stone and it would all be over and done with."

But despite her inner ranting Pride felt a small, and completely unexplainable, sense of sadness that the young alchemist had died. These feelings were not something she could explain and they were beginning to seriously piss her off and yet she could not entirely rid herself of them no matter how hard she tried.

"Why do I feel like I'm connected to him in some way?" Pride wondered.

At that moment Hakuro entered the building, interrupting Pride's thoughts. "I've rallied the troops, so to speak. We're prepared to leave for Central whenever you give the command."

Pride nodded. "Good. Once Sloth returns, we move out."

Hakuro nodded.

* * *

"I really hate trains," Nick muttered as he and Kaori disembarked at Central. He placed their suitcases down on the platform and stretched, trying to relieve the ache in his back that had developed during the long train ride from Resembool. "Someone needs to hurry up and invent a better, and faster, mode of transportation."

Kaori smiled, used to his rants by now, and shook her head. "Well you're the neighborhood genius so why don't you get off your ass and invent one of those flying machines that you keep talking about."

"My genius is strictly reserved for alchemy," Nick stated. "Besides I only got a basic understanding of how those things worked during my time on the other side of the Gate."

"That should be enough," Kaori said. "I bet if you really wanted to, you could build one."

"Hmm," Nick said thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But I think I'll leave the mechanic work to my mother. That's her forte."

"Have it your way," Kaori said, shaking her head as she gazed at him out of the corner of her eye. "But if you're not going to do something about it, then stop complaining."

"Fine," Nick said, picking up their luggage from the platform. "Shall I walk you home?"

Kaori smiled. "Your company would be welcome but I can carry my own bag."

Kaori made a move to take the suitcase from him but Nick held it just out of her reach.

"I know you can," Nick said with a grin. "But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you."

"Fine," Kaori said, giving up her attempts to grab her suitcase out of his hands.

"Come on, let's go."

Kaori nodded and followed Nick out of the station. The two teens walked the short distance from the train station to the Garden District, where Mustang had his private residence.

Kaori led the way up the drive and opened the front door. She stepped inside but turned around when she didn't hear Nick enter behind her. She stepped back outside and grabbed Nick's hand. "Come on Nick."

Nick hesitated for a moment longer and then followed her over the threshold, closing the door behind them.

As the two teens walked past the den Mustang and Hawkeye emerged.

"Welcome back sweetie," Hawkeye said, giving her daughter a hug. "Did you enjoy your trip?"

Kaori smiled. "Very much."

Mustang stared from his daughter to Nick and then his eyes narrowed. "Fullmetal, you didn't do anything less than honorable with my daughter did you?"

Nick and Kaori both gave Mustang an evil look and exclaimed, "NO!!"

"Dad, I can't believe you'd even ask something like that!" Kaori ranted.

Mustang held up his hands. "Calm down Kaori. I'm your father, it's my job to ask these things."

"And on that note, I think I should be going," Nick said. "See you later Kaori."

"Bye Nick."

Nick turned around and walked back down the hallway, toward the front door. He paused briefly to pick up his suitcase, which he'd left sitting there when he'd entered and then he opened the door and stepped back out into the bright sunlight.

The boy left the Garden District and slowly made his way to the Hughes' residence. When he reached the large house he pulled a key out of his pocked and used it to unlock the door.

"It's just me," Nick called out as he entered the house.

"Welcome back Nick," Elicia said, coming out of her father's study.

"Thanks Elicia," Nick said.

Elicia smiled. "I see you finally learned to use the key that my mother gave you."

Nick nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Took you long enough," Elicia said.

"That was harsh," Nick said, walking toward the stairs.

"It's okay," Elicia said. "You should be used to it by now."

Thinking about all the people who were constantly picking on him Nick nodded. "Surprisingly enough, I am." With that, Nick turned and took the stairs two at a time. He walked down the hall to the small room that he occupied when he was in Central.

The boy deposited his suitcase at the foot of the bed and then plopped down on the edge. "Hmm," Nick thought to himself as he leaned over and propped his head up with his hands. "I wonder where I go from here. The homunculi think I'm dead so I have a distinct advantage if only I had a decent lead. But they've dropped off the face of the earth."

* * *

The next day Nick got up early and made his way to Central Command. He thought perhaps since he didn't have any clues as to the whereabouts of the homunculi, his superiors may be of some use.

Nick chuckled to himself at that thought. "Those guys, helpful. What was I thinking?"

When the boy arrived at Central HQ, he made his way to Col. Havoc's office. Hoping that his superior was in, Nick knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter."

Nick opened the door and walked into the office, closing the door quietly behind himself.

"Good morning Chief," Col. Havoc said, as the boy walked across the office. "What brings you here so early?"

"I couldn't stand just lying there and doing nothing," Nick said. "And I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and come here. So here I am."

"I see," Col. Havoc said.

Nick sat down in the chair in front of the colonel's desk. He sat there in deep thought for a few moments, contemplating what he should do about his situation. Then he made his decision.

"Sir," Nick said. "I know I'm gonna regret this but I need help with something."

Col. Havoc's eyes widened. "Did I hear that right? You, Mr. Independent, I-Work-Alone, are asking me for help?"

"Yea I know," Nick said, with a shrug. "Scary isn't it?"

"Immensely," Col. Havoc said with an exaggerated shudder.

"Oh stop it," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Col. Havoc said. "What do you need help with Chief?"

"Well I want to find the homunculi," Nick said, hating the fact that he had to ask the military for help. "But I'm out of leads. They disappeared after our encounter in Kai and I don't have any clue as to where they escaped to."

Col. Havoc thought for a moment about the problem. "Well we could send out a spy but I'm not sure that would be of much use against this particular enemy. I think you should ask the Fuhrer."

Nick groaned. That was the one thing that he hasn't wanted to do. In fact he'd much rather go through the horror of auto-mail surgery multiple times as opposed to asking that man one simple question. That's how bad it was.

"Come on Chief," Col. Havoc said. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh yes it could," Nick said.

Col. Havoc stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. "Come on Chief," he repeated, motioning for Nick to get up.

"Fine," Nick said grumpily, standing up.

Col. Havoc walked over to the door followed, albeit reluctantly by Nick. The colonel led the way down the hall, to Fuhrer Mustang's office. Once there he knocked on the door.

"Enter," a voice called out.

Col. Havoc opened the door grabbed Nick by the arm and pulled him into the office.

As he was pulled forcefully into the office, Nick gazed around and to his horror he saw a familiar sight in the chair across from Mustang.

"Dad!" Nick exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"We were just discussing battle strategy Fullmetal," Fuhrer Mustang said calmly. "Pull up a chair and join us."

Grudgingly Nick pulled an extra chair across the room and over to the desk. Col. Havoc did the same and the two of them sat down on either side of Ed, all facing the Fuhrer who sat behind his desk.

"So," Fuhrer Mustang began once everyone was seated. "The chances are good that the homunculi will attempt to track Nick down since he's been their primary target in their pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone."

_"Not very damn likely," _Nick thought to himself as the Fuhrer spoke. _"Seeing as how they think I'm dead."_

However since he couldn't say that out loud, Nick refrained from interrupting the Fuhrer.

"Knowing this," Fuhrer Mustang continued. "It is only logical that we provide Nick with some protection."

Nick rolled his eyes. _"If he tries to assign me another bodyguard so help me I'll kill them both."_

"However, since Fullmetal has a rebellious streak a mile long that probably wouldn't be a good idea."

Nick smirked. _"So he's finally learned."_

"So I think we should keep an eye out for any strange behavior," Mustang said. "And Nick will have to keep an extra sharp look out since he's the only one of us who knows what the homunculi look like."

Nick nodded.

"And we mustn't forget that Hunter will be a threat also," Ed added. "Since we now know that he's working with the homunculi."

Nick listened as the three adults discussed battle plans in case Hunter and the homunculi came to Central after him. And although that wasn't gonna happen Nick thought it best that he allow them to continue to plan because he knew something that they did not. The homunculi thought he was dead and since they'd already told him that he was the alchemist closest to the Stone, now that they thought he was dead they would have to find someone else talented enough at alchemy to forge the Philosopher's Stone. And although he hated to admit this fact to himself, since his dad hadn't publicly advertised his alchemical skills since the age of eighteen, Fuhrer Mustang was the most obvious choice. Everyone in Amestris knew that their leader was a tremendously skilled alchemist and Nick thought it likely that the homunculi would seek to use that to their advantage. So even though he hated the very thought of it Nick had decided that he would have to hang close to the Fuhrer just in case the homunculi attacked.

_"I may not care for him very much," _Nick thought to himself. _"But Kaori loves him and admittedly he does do a good job of running the country. I guess I can't let the homunculi kill him, or use him either."_

And although he didn't want to think about it, Nick also knew that the only way that the homunculi could convince the Fuhrer to cooperate with them was to abduct Kaori or Hawkeye and use them against him. And that was something that Nick could not allow to happen.

"Earth to Nick."

Nick snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his father's voice. He looked over at Ed.

Ed smiled knowingly at his son. "Were you even listening to us?"

Nick grinned sheepishly and replied, "No not really."

"I thought not," Ed said.

"If we're boring you that badly Fullmetal, feel free to go," Fuhrer Mustang said.

Nick immediately jumped to his feet. "Okay."

And with that the boy left the office.

"Why did you do that sir?" Col. Havoc wanted to know.

"Because he didn't want to be here," Fuhrer Mustang replied. "And because I didn't want him to hear the fact that I intend to have people following him around."

"But you told the kid that that wasn't an option," Ed said, knowing that when, not if, Nick found out he was being tailed it would be very bad for all concerned.

"Of course I did," Fuhrer Mustang said, with a smirk. "Who in their right mind would tell that kid the truth? He is, after all, your son Edward."

"You'll be sorry," Ed said, ignoring the crack about his bad genes. It was something that he'd heard many times and it didn't really bother him anymore. Besides he had more pressing matters weighing on his mind.

"Perhaps," Fuhrer Mustang said. "But I'll risk it."

"Okay," Ed said. "It's your funeral."

Fuhrer Mustang held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then an evil glint appeared in his black eyes and a grin spread across his face. "I have an idea Edward. Why don't you follow him?"

Ed's eyes widened and he shook his head. There was a simple answer to that question. He knew exactly how Nick would act when he discovered that he was being followed and Ed had absolutely no desire to be on the receiving end of that rage. "You're crazy."

"Come on Edward," the Fuhrer said. "I'm going to assign a guard to him regardless of whether or not the kid wants one so the only thing debatable in this scenario is who the guard is gonna be. You or someone else, I really couldn't care either way."

Ed could tell that Mustang was serious and he debated his options for a few minutes. Then he heaved a sigh. "Fine, I'll follow the boy but this is all on your head."

Fuhrer Mustang gazed at Ed with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"You're evil, you know that?"

"Yes," Fuhrer Mustang said, with an evil laugh.

* * *

After leaving the Fuhrer's office Nick walked across the courtyard and settled himself under the large shade tree that he frequently visited. The boy drew his knees up under his chin and lay his head upon them, lost in thought.

"Nick," a familiar voice called out. "I thought you were going to ask for help from the colonel ?"

Nick glanced up at Kaori's disapproving scowl. "I did ask. And as shocking as this must be to hear, he wasn't all that helpful."

Kaori sat down beside Nick.

"Kaori," Nick said, taking a deep breath. "I think you should lay low for awhile."

Kaori stared at Nick, a confused expression on her face. "And why would I do that?"

Deciding that it was best to tell her the truth Nick took another deep breath. "Because since the homunculi now believe me to be dead it's my belief that your dad is their most likely target," Nick explained. "And since your dad is a skilled fighter they'll most likely try to use either you or your mother against him. And since you're no longer able to use alchemy, you're vulnerable." A guilty expression appeared on Nick's face and his golden eyes held a haunted look. "And since it's my fault that you can't use alchemy if anything happens to you I'll never forgive myself.

The look in Nick's eyes startled Kaori. She'd never seen such a tortured look in his eyes and that was saying something considering how much she'd seen him endure during the course of their relationship.

However even though she felt pity for him Kaori felt her rebellious streak flare up at once.

"I'm not afraid," Kaori said, pulling a gun from underneath the long black jacket that she was wearing. "I may not be able to use alchemy anymore but I am still my mother's daughter. I can take care of myself."

Nick stared at the pistol that Kaori held in her hand. It was almost identical to the standard issue side arms carried by the soldiers in the State Military. "When did you start carrying that?"

"I started carrying it on a regular basis after we returned from Kai," Kaori replied, as she released the hammer and placed the gun back in the holster that was concealed beneath her jacket. "But I've had it for a number of years. I didn't want to limit myself to one mode of self defense so I learned to shoot and I had an excellent teacher. My mother was one of the best marksmen during her stint in the military. In fact she was actually assigned as my dad's bodyguard."

Nick's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your mom was assigned as a bodyguard for your dad?"

Kaori nodded. "Since dad was a valuable State Alchemist the military higher ups decided that he should have a bodyguard."

Nick cocked an eyebrow. "And why exactly did they feel that a highly trained State Alchemist needed a bodyguard?"

Kaori smiled. "Because he was the Flame Alchemist and his flame was only useful as long as the weather was good. If his glove got wet he was powerless."

"And who exactly told you all of this?" Nick wanted to know. "Cause I can't see Mustang divulging something like that, not even to his daughter."

"Col. Havoc told me," Kaori said with a smile.

"Of course," Nick said, shaking his head. "He should have been the first person I thought of."

"So," Kaori said. "Now that we've established the fact that I can take care of myself, what's our next move?"

Nick sighed and shook his head. It was apparent to him now that she had no intention of lying low so Nick decided that he'd have to keep an eye on her. "I guess we should probably keep an eye on your dad. Without him knowing about it."

Kaori nodded.

"This won't be easy," Nick thought to himself. Now he had three different people to guard and he had to somehow disguise from them the fact that they were being pursued.

Granted he didn't have that particular problem with Kaori since she'd be with him constantly but that presented it's own set of problems. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Are you okay Nick?" Kaori asked, her voice filled with concern. "You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine," Nick said quickly. There was no point in telling her what was wrong since there was no cure for what was ailing him.

Kaori didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

Nick nodded, at the same time making a mental note to keep his emotions better concealed. Kaori always misinterpreted them and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Kaori was still staring at him with a really weird expression on her face and Nick shook his head. She really was hopeless. "Come on. We have work to do."

Kaori nodded.

* * *

So for the next two days Nick and Kaori spent their time keeping a close eye on Mustang and during that time Nick noticed that the two of them were also being followed.

Ed had remained in Central and he was now finding excuses to follow his son around Central. Nick had the sneaking suspicion that he was doing this on Mustang's orders and although that angered him to a small degree, he decided that ultimately it was for the best. If trouble started his dad's alchemical skills would be extremely useful so Nick pushed his annoyance to the side and dealt with it.

And much to his amusement Kaori was so focused on guarding her father that she didn't even notice the fact that Ed was following them. She seemed to think he was merely turning up wherever the two of them went: miraculously but none the less harmlessly.

Nick, on the other hand, knew better but he decided not to share that knowledge with Kaori. It would serve no purpose.

* * *

Meanwhile the group of homunculi, accompanied by Hakuro and his group of ex-soldiers, had finally arrived in Central City and they were now hold up in an abandoned store, discussing battle plans.

"So which member of the Flame's family are we going to use as bait?" Wrath wanted to know.

"We'll track down the girl and use her," Pride said. "I think she'll be the easier of the two for us to abduct. The ex-general has informed me that Mustang's wife was once a sharp shooter for the State Military so I think we'd be ill advised to attack her. It's still an option however it's fairly low on the list.

The others nodded.

"Now that that's been decided," Pride said, instantly capturing the attention of the room's occupants. "Hakuro, you and your men will create a diversion on the West end of town. Large amounts of troops will be dispatched to deal with the situation so the capitol will be more vulnerable as a result."

Hakuro nodded. He wasn't thrilled about following the orders of the homunculus but his desire for revenge against Mustang was enough to ensure his obedience to the plan. He could put up with anything in order to see that bastard pay for what he'd done.

Hakuro motioned for his troops to follow him and the group stood up. "We'll make our way to the West end of town and we'll wait for your signal."

Pride nodded and the group of soldiers left the building.

"Now that the pawns are gone we can discuss our true plan."

Sloth, Wrath and Lust turned toward their leader expectantly.

"Hunter is positioned in the East end of the city, and when I give him the signal he's going to allow someone to see him and that should guarantee that Central HQ will be virtually deserted when we make our move."

Sloth smirked. "Excellent."

"Lust, Wrath your job will be to track down the girl," Pride said.

The two homunculi nodded.

"Sloth and I will make a move on Central HQ. The two of us will secure Mustang and then once you have the girl, we'll use that as leverage and force the Fuhrer to create the Philosopher's Stone."

Their plans made, the group of homunculi split up and went about their respective parts of the plan. Lust and Wrath went off to locate the Fuhrer's daughter and Pride and Sloth made their way to Central Command, the heart of the Amestris State Military.

* * *

Ed had been following his son and the Fuhrer's daughter for a couple of days and it was starting to annoy him. He hadn't wanted to do it in the first place but the Fuhrer had forced him into it and now he was beginning to wonder if there was any point to it. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened and Ed was beginning to wonder whether the danger was as real as Fuhrer Mustang thought.

_"Maybe the homunculi have given up on Nicholas," _Ed thought to himself as he followed the two teens around Central.

Nick and Kaori were hanging close to Central Command, when they heard a loud BOOM off in the distance. The two teens turned their heads toward the sound of the blast, which was coming from the west end of town, and when they did they saw a huge ball of flames rise above the buildings.

"What the hell was that?!" Kaori exclaimed.

Nick shook his head as he gazed from the flames to Central Command. It had obviously been an explosion but the boy had no idea what had caused it, which was what Kaori really wanted to know.

As he watched Central Command, Nick saw a large group of soldiers emerge from the building. The soldiers ran out to the courtyard, climbed into various military vehicles and set off in the direction of the explosion.

"This is bad," Kaori said as they watched the soldiers depart. "We should go and see if we can help."

Nick's mind was racing and he knew, without knowing how he knew, that they must not go anywhere near the sight of the explosion. And then the answer came to him.

"No!" Nick said sharply. "This is a trap! We have to find your dad, now."

And with that the boy took off running toward the entrance of Central Command, with Kaori and Ed right behind him. As the soldiers ran away from Central Command Nick, Kaori and Ed ran toward it. Nick was almost one hundred percent sure that this had something to do with the homunculi and he knew that they had to find Mustang and make sure that he was okay.

Nick led the way inside Central Command and then down the hall toward the Fuhrer's office. Not even bothering to knock Nick burst through the door and ran into the Fuhrer's office. Once inside, the sight that met the boy's eyes made him pause.

Pride and Sloth stood on either side of the Fuhrer.

"Dad!" Nick called out over his shoulder. "Get Kaori out of here and keep her safe."

Ed hesitated for just a moment, knowing that something was horribly wrong, but when Nick turned and gave him an intense look he nodded and grabbed Kaori by the arm.

Kaori was reluctant to leave but she too had seen the look in Nick's eyes and she allowed Ed to lead her away from the office. Away from Nick and away from the unknown danger within.

Once Ed and Kaori were out of sight Nick turned back toward the Fuhrer and the two homunculi, who held him captive.

"Kaori's okay?" Mustang asked, his voice filled with concern. "These things told me that they had her and would kill her if I didn't do what they said."

"She's fine," Nick assured the worried father. "She's with my dad and the two of them just made a run for it."

As he spoke Nick glared at the two homunculi, who were glaring at him in disbelief.

"This isn't possible," Sloth said. "You're dead. I saw you die."

"Apparently you didn't see what you thought you saw," Nick said, not really wanting this conversation to progress any further. Thus far he'd managed to conceal the fact that Kaori had used forbidden alchemy to bring his soul back from the other side and he had every intention of keeping it that way. "Now let Mustang go. We all know I'm the one you really want."

Sloth stepped forward to face the boy but Pride retained her place at Mustang's side and as her comrade faced off against the young alchemist, she leaned over to whisper something in the Fuhrer's ear.

Mustang's eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth in anger. What a stupid time not to have his sidearm. He should have listened to Riza, who had told him countless times that he should always carry it. But of course since he was a highly skilled alchemist he hadn't thought that he would ever need it.

Big mistake.

Now he was virtually powerless to help Nick fight the homunculi. He knew from previous experience that they were possessed of super human strength and speed and confident as he was in his fighting skills Mustang doubted whether he would stand a chance against them without the use of his alchemy. Hell, last time he'd fought against a homunculus it had nearly cost him his life and that was with the use of his alchemy.

All he could do now was watch as Nick faced the homunculus and hope that the kid could defeat him. _"Come on Fullmetal. You can do it."_

Sloth walked over and closed the office door. "Don't want anyone to interrupt us." Then the homunculus walked back over and glared at the young alchemist. "This time I'll make sure you're dead."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Now where have I heard this before? Hmm, let me think. Oh yea, now I remember. Every time I've ever fought you."

Sloth clenched his hands into fists.

Nick's eyes narrowed and he clasped his hands together, transmuting his auto-mail into a blade. "This time we finish it."

And with that Nick attacked the homunculus.

The Fuhrer's office was fairly large, as far as offices went, but being confined to it made Nick's battle with Sloth fairly difficult. Close quarters fighting could not be avoided and yet at the same time he was fighting the homunculus he had to make sure that Mustang didn't get hurt, which would be decidedly easier if he had more space.

_"This is not cool," _Nick thought to himself as he swung his blade at Sloth's head.

Sloth dodged the blow but it was a close call and he was knocked off balance.

Nick saw this and used the homunculus' momentary pause to his advantage. He quickly attacked the homunculus again. The new attack followed the previous one so closely that Sloth was unable to dodge. He had not yet recovered from the first attack and this one made contact.

Nick's blade grazed Sloth's shoulder as the homunculus dodged backward. It wasn't a direct hit, merely a glancing blow, but it once again put Sloth off balance.

It was at this moment that a battle strategy formed in Nick's mind. Instead of attempting to take the homunculus out with one blow he would keep him off balance and dodging. If he was always on the defensive then he wouldn't have time to attack and Nick could take his time with the battle. In short, he would wear him down.

And the enraged Sloth played right into Nick's plans. Driven by his anger and hatred for the young alchemist, Sloth continued to attack and with each attack Nick countered and retaliated. And while most of Sloth's attacks missed, the majority of Nick's made contact, if only barely.

As Fuhrer Mustang watched the battle he inwardly marveled at how much the boy's fighting skills had improved over the years. He hadn't been a bad fighter when he'd first joined the military six years previous however he'd lacked strategy and had relied more on luck. However his experiences over the years had taught the boy much and he'd since remedied that particular deficiency.

_"Way to go Fullmetal," _Mustang silently cheered.

Sloth faced the boy, his medium length black hair damp with sweat and hanging over his eyes. His breathing was heavy and his cold eyes blazed with hatred. "You will die boy," the homunculus snarled.

_"Been there, done that," _Nick thought to himself wryly. He growled at the homunculus. "I don't think so."

Sloth screamed and made one last, headlong dash toward the boy.

Nick matched the homunculus' scream and as Sloth ran toward him Nick thrust his blade forward.

"Uhn," Sloth moaned, gazing down at the blade that was piercing his chest.

Nick pulled his blade free from Sloth's chest and the homunculus fell to the floor, his blank eyes open and unseeing. Nick turned to face Pride and Mustang, his face determined. He pointed his index finger at the homunculus he'd created. "You're next."

"I don't think so."

Pride pulled a box of matches from her pocket and held one up. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you."

Nick raised an eyebrow, a confused expression on his face. "And why's that?" he wanted to know.

"This room has been filled with a highly flammable gas," Pride said with a sneer. "That's why Flame here didn't help you during your little battle with Sloth." And as she said this the homunculus spared a glance for her fallen comrade.

"I was wondering about that," Nick said.

"And now you know," Pride said with a laugh. "One spark and everyone in this room is incinerated. And as an added bonus the explosion will take half the building with it."

"Shit," Nick mouthed.

"Now you're going to let me walk out of here," Pride ordered. "Or you and Mustang both die, along with anyone else in the vicinity of the blast. Your choice."

Nick's blade-arm reverted back to auto-mail and he dropped it to his side.

"Good choice Fullmetal boy," Pride said with a sneer.

With that Pride stepped away from the desk, the match held aloft, and walked toward the door.

Nick stepped over beside Mustang and the two of them watched as the homunculus walked over to the door.

Pride opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Then the homunculus quickly struck the match and tossed it into the room. The small flame of the match instantly caught the flammable gas.

"Shit!" Nick exclaimed.

Without thinking Nick grabbed Mustang, pulled him from the office chair and then broke through the glass window, with the surprised Fuhrer in tow. Nick and Mustang hit the ground with a dull thud and rolled a few feet away from the building.

There was a loud explosion and Nick and Mustang stood up and watched part of the building burn.

"Damn it, all my paperwork was in there and it was actually done," Fuhrer Mustang moaned as they watched the office burn. "Where's Kaori when you need her?"

Nick knew that Kaori's alchemic expertise had been water and he was really hoping that she stayed away until someone else put out the fire. If she showed up it would be very difficult to explain why she couldn't put out the fire with alchemy.

Mustang abruptly ceased watching the destruction of his office and turned to face Nick. "Nice reflexes Fullmetal."

"Thanks," Nick said. He knew that was Mustang's off beat way of thanking him for what he'd done. The gesture was completely unexpected and as much as Nick hated to admit it, kind of nice to hear words of praise come from the lips of the Fuhrer.

As he watched the building burn Nick thought about the homunculus that he'd killed and also about the one that had escaped. "I will find her," Nick swore to himself.

* * *

The next day Nick, Ed, Kaori, Hawkeye and Mustang met at Central Command. The fire the night before had completely destroyed Fuhrer Mustang's office so they used one of the briefing rooms.

"So here's what I was able to find out last night," Fuhrer Mustang said, stifling a yawn. The Fuhrer's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in black and it was obvious that he'd been up all night. "The explosion on the West side was caused by a group of ex-soldiers, most of whom were apprehended last night. And the ones we caught told us that they were being led by an ex-general named Hakuro."

Hawkeye gasped.

Hakuro had been a general under the reign of Mustang's predecessor, Fuhrer Bradley and in Hawkeye's personal opinion the man was a complete and utter asshole. He'd been discharged unceremoniously from the military when Mustang had taken over, because of his widespread corruption. And possibly because Mustang just didn't like him.

"We've thus far been unable to track him down but we will," Mustang continued, ignoring his wife's gasp of surprise. "Now continuing on: at around the same time as the explosion several citizens reported spotting Hunter in the East end of the city. As of yet we've been unable to confirm those sightings. However it is my personal belief that the two incidents are directly connected. I think they were meant as a diversion for the attack on Central. And sadly our actions played right into their plans. Most of the soldiers stationed in Central Command were dispatched to one of the two incidents and HQ was left vulnerable."

At this point in the story Mustang paused and gazed around the room. The others gazed back at him intently. Even Nick was paying attention, which was utterly amazing.

"So what do you think Nick?" Mustang asked.

"I think they are definitely connected," Nick said.

Mustang nodded. "So what do you want to do?"

Fuhrer Mustang wanted to give the boy a chance to get out of the dangerous situation.

Nick's answer came quickly and his voice was unwavering. "I want to track the rest of them down and end this once and for all."

That had been the response that Mustang had expected from the boy. "I thought you'd say that and I think I can help you with that desire. One of the men we apprehended last night told me that they'd been using an old abandoned store as their base of operations."

"Great!" Nick exclaimed.

The boy hadn't even dared to hope for such good news. He'd fully expected to have to start his search for the remaining homunculi from scratch and he was utterly thrilled with the news that he might not have to.

"The abandoned store is located along the city's southern border," Mustang said. "I think we should plan our next move carefully before we strike."

"And I think you'd best make your plans in a hurry," Nick said. "Cause now that their plans have been foiled there's no way to know how much longer the homunculi will remain in Central."

Mustang hated to admit it but he knew that the boy had a valid point. "Okay, we'll make our plans today and then we'll make our move tonight."

Nick nodded his head in agreement. Even he could agree with this particular plan and he was an impatient as they come.

Glad that for once the boy agreed with his plan of action Mustang smiled. "So how are we gonna work this?"

A/N - end of another chapter. Please review.


	36. The Final Battle

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-Six - The Final Battle**

Now that the homunculi knew that Nick was still alive the three who remained decided that the boy would have to die before they could focus on forcing Fuhrer Mustang to forge the Philosopher's Stone for them. There was simply no other alternative.

"That brat has got to die!" Pride ranted, pacing back and forth across the floor of the abandoned store. "We cannot afford to fail again."

"We must attack now," Lust said. "They won't be expecting it. Not so soon after our last attack."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Wrath said, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Sloth's dead and we could be next."

Pride stopped her pacing, her eyes narrowing, and took a few menacing steps toward Wrath, who shrank back in fear. "Hear me well Wrath. If you even think about backing out of this now, or betraying us, **I** will kill you."

Wrath held up his hands in a placating manner, hoping to disarm the potentially explosive situation. "I would never do anything like that Pride."

Pride's anger lessened a degree. "For your sake, I hope not. Now you and Lust will go out together and look for the Fullmetal boy."

"And what are you gonna do?" Lust asked.

"That's none of your business," Pride said harshly.

Still curious, but knowing better than to pursue the matter further, Lust nodded. "Come on Wrath. Let's go."

Wrath nodded, without much enthusiasm, and followed Lust from the abandoned store. He was afraid to face the young alchemist who'd been able to kill Sloth but he was more afraid of facing the fury of Pride.

Knowing that this would more than likely be their last chance to dispose of the young alchemist, Pride left the building to finalize plans of her own. She had little faith in the others' ability to do the job so she needed a backup plan.

* * *

When Nick and his group arrived at the abandoned store that the captured soldiers had identified as the hideout of the homunculi, they found that the building was completely devoid of life.

"Damn!" Mustang swore, smacking his fist on the wall. "Those bastards lied to me."

"I don't think so," Nick said, stepping inside the building and gazing around. "People have definitely been here recently. I think they've just gone out for something."

Mustang's gaze swept across the large room and he nodded. He'd learned over the years to trust the boy's judgment.

"Mustang," Nick said. "You, Dad and Hawkeye should go out and search for them."

"And what are you going to do Nicholas?" Ed asked his son. There was a concerned expression in his golden eyes, the eyes that Nick had inherited from him, as he gazed at the boy.

"Kaori and I will stay here and wait for them to return," Nick replied, having quickly thought out his plans when he'd discovered that the hideout was empty. "And when they do, I'll send up an alchemic flare and that will be your signal to come back and help."

Mustang nodded, ecstatic over the fact that Nick had finally learned how to make a decent battle strategy. "Good plan Fullmetal."

Ed walked over to his son and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Be careful Nicholas."

"Don't worry Dad," Nick said. "We'll all be fine."

Ed nodded and followed Mustang and Hawkeye out of the room.

"So," Kaori said to Nick, once her parents and his father had left the room. "Now what?"

"Now," Nick said, pulling a sharp knife from his pocket. "We get to work."

And with that Nick knelt down and began to carve something in the floor of the building with the sharp blade of the knife.

Kaori watched him work in silence for a few minutes and then her curiosity got the better of her. "Nick, what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm carving out a transmutation circle," Nick replied, barely pausing his work as he answered.

"Why?" Kaori wanted to know. "You can transmute without the use of an array."

"True," Nick said. "But this array serves a special purpose. My dad told me about it: it's used to seal a homunculus."

"Really?" Kaori said in surprise. "Well that's nifty."

Her plans made, Pride decided that it was time to go back to their base of operations and await the return of the others. It only took about fifteen minutes for her to get back and when she arrived back at the abandoned store, Pride opened the door and stepped into the darkened building. Swearing softly under her breath, Pride flipped on the lights.

As soon as the room was illuminated by the lights Pride gasped in horror at the sight that met her eyes. Nick was standing in the center of the room, a determined look in his golden eyes.

"You," Pride growled.

"Happy to see me?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"How did you find this place?" Pride demanded.

"Well that's the thing about recruiting deserters as lackeys," Nick said. "They aren't exactly trustworthy."

"Those bastards," Pride growled. "I'll kill them all."

"Afraid not," Nick said, his voice filled with determination. "You will not survive this encounter."

"You are an arrogant little thing," Pride said, taking a step toward the boy who bravely held his ground. "But I just don't see that happening."

"That would be your mistake," Nick said.

**"DIE!!" **Pride screamed, her voice filled with rage, running toward the boy.

Nick clasped his hands together and his auto-mail transformed into a blade, amidst a spray of blue sparks. The boy held up his blade and used it to block Pride's blow. This further angered the homunculus whose attacks became more furious as her rage increased. Nick, however, managed to remain calm and he blocked blow after blow from the enraged homunculus.

Kaori stood in the shadows, watching the battle, and silently cheering on her friend. "Way to go Nick."

Most of her attacks having failed, Pride stepped back and took a couple of deep breaths. _"I have to calm down," _the homunculus thought to herself as she glared at the boy standing a few feet away from her. _"I have to think this through."_

It was then that Pride came up with an idea. She took one last, deep breath and then transformed into her true form.

Nick's eyes widened as he faced Pride in her true form. The homunculus had aged just like a human over the years since her creation and it was as though he were facing off against Aiya.

Pride saw the look that appeared on the boy's face as she assumed her true form and it delighted her. "What's the matter Fullmetal boy?" Pride asked tauntingly. "Afraid of your own creation?"

"It's his little sister," Kaori thought to herself, a horrified expression on her face. "This is **NOT** good."

Nick had told himself over and over that he was prepared to face his sin and yet now he was hesitant. And Pride used that hesitancy to her full advantage. She quickly attacked the boy, and although he raised his blade to block, his reaction wasn't quick enough and the homunculus knocked him across the room.

Nick hit the wall on the other side of the room and then fell to the floor.

"Uhn," the boy gasped as he hit the ground, hard.

**"NICK!" **Kaori yelled, coming out of the shadows.

"Kaori!" Nick yelled. "Get back!"

But it was too late. Pride had seen the girl and now knew that she was there. The homunculus turned away from Nick, to face Kaori.

"Dammit," Nick swore, jumping to his feet. He shook his head, to clear his blurry vision, and quickly ran over to the spot where Kaori stood, paralyzed with fear and he made it there without a moment to spare.

Pride pulled a katana from her belt and made a move to stab Kaori with the sword but Nick pushed the girl out of the way. Nick bit back a scream as the blade of the katana bit into his flesh.

Surprised by the boy's move Pride pulled the blade from his side and stepped back.

Nick's gaze went to the floor where Pride stood and a smirk spread across his face. Despite the pain that he was currently experiencing due to the injury inflicted upon him by the homunculi, there was a triumphant look in his golden eyes. He placed a hand in his pocket and pulled something from it's depths.

"Catch," Nick called out, tossing the object to the homunculus.

Wondering what the boy was up to, Pride held out her hand and caught the object that was soaring toward her. And the moment her fingers touched the object, which turned out to be a golden locket, Pride found her self completely unable to move.

"What the hell is this?" Pride snarled.

"That locket belonged to Harmony," Nick told the homunculus. "And it contains a lock of her hair. And that is the reason why you can't move. Homunculi are weakened when faced with the remains of the person whose failed transmutation gave them birth."

"Nick," Kaori said.

Nick stepped toward the immobilized homunculus, clasped his hands together, knelt down and placed his hands down upon the transmutation circle. The circle glowed bright blue.

Pride's eyes widened. She gasped, gagged and threw up, the red stones that sustained the homunculi's bodies spilling onto the floor. Nick knew from conversations with his dad that this would make the homunculus more vulnerable to his attacks.

It was time to end the battle once and for all.

"Kaori," Nick said, turning to face her. "I need your help."

"With what?" Kaori wanted to know.

"We're going to finish this homunculus off once and for all."

"How?" Kaori wanted to know.

"Do you have your gun?"

Kaori nodded, pulling the weapon from the holster hidden under her jacket. She held the pistol up, a curious expression on her face.

"Excellent," Nick said. "I want you to shoot her."

"But Nick, bullets can't kill them."

"Ordinary bullets can't kill them," Nick said. "But I know how to remedy that particular problem. Just shoot."

"If you say so," Kaori said.

"Aim for her heart," Nick ordered as Kaori took aim.

Kaori nodded, took aim and fired.

At exactly the same moment Nick clasped his hands together and blue sparks engulfed the bullet as it flew from the barrel of the gun. The bullet, now surrounded by a strange blue aura, soared through the air and pierced the homunculus through the heart.

Pride let out a horrible scream as the bullet entered her body.

Nick and Kaori stood watching as the body of the homunculus decayed before their very eyes. Soon there was nothing left but a small pile of ashes in the center of the transmutation circle.

The homunculus whom he'd transmuted into existence was now dead but Nick had paid a high price in order to make this happen. And now that the battle was over and his adrenaline rush was beginning to subside the boy realized just how severe his injuries were. Clutching his side Nick sank to the ground beside the large transmutation circle that he'd used to immobilize Pride.

"Nick!" Kaori screamed, running toward him and dropping to her knees at his side.

"I'm sorry Kaori," Nick said in a soft voice, looking over at her with a sad expression in his golden eyes. "It looks like your sacrifice only bought me a few more months of life, but at least with the homunculus dead you'll be safe."

And with those words Nick collapsed.

**"NICK!!!"**

At that moment Ed, Mustang and Hawkeye came running into the building.

"Nicholas!" Ed yelled as he and the others ran toward the boy.

Ed fell to his knees at his son's side and inspected the boy's wound "Hang in there Nicholas, we'll get you some help as soon as we can. You'll be okay." Ed's voice was filled with fear and concern for his son, even as he spoke words of comfort to the boy.

"What happened Kaori?" Hawkeye asked her daughter.

"Nick beat the homunculus," Kaori said, her eyes brimming with tears. "But he got hurt saving me and we're so far from the hospital. I don't know if he can make it all that way."

Hawkeye's gaze went from the wounded boy to her husband. Kaori had a point: the hospital wasn't close and the boy was loosing blood at a rapid pace.

"That arrogant little brat saved my life and I'll be damned if I'm gonna be in his debt."

As he spoke Mustang pulled a glove from his pocket and slid it onto his right hand.

"What are you going to do Dad?" Kaori wanted to know.

Saying nothing in response to his daughter's question, Mustang knelt at Nick's side and pulled the boy's torn black shirt away from his wound.

"Dad!"

Hawkeye pulled her daughter to her feet and placed her arms around the girl, surrounding her in a comforting hug.

Beads of sweat appeared on Mustang's face. He knew that if he wasn't careful he could seriously injure the boy but he also knew that it was the boy's only hope. If the bleeding was not stopped soon, the boy's chances of survival were not good. And so, taking a deep breath and holding his hand close to the boy's wound Mustang snapped.

Flames burst forward and covered the boy's wound.

Kaori gasped, a horrified look in her eyes, and buried her face against her mother's shoulder.

Ed's eyes held the same horrified look as Kaori's however he knew what Mustang was trying to do and his gaze remained focused on the wound on his son's side.

The flames disappeared after only a few seconds and Mustang gazed at his work.

"Wow," Ed said, gazing down at his son's wound, which was no longer bleeding. "That took skill. I'm surprised you were able to pull it off Mustang."

Mustang pointed his index finger at Ed. "Watch it Edward or you'll be next. And instead of rare I'll make sure you're extra crispy."

"Ooh," Ed said with an exaggerated shudder. "Terrifying."

Kaori picked up on the joking tone in the two men's voices and she lifted her head slowly and gazed down at Nick. The boy's wound was no longer bleeding.

Kaori stared at her dad. "What did you do?"

"I used my fire alchemy to sear the boy's wound closed," Mustang explained. "It's a rather crude method of first aid but it will keep him alive until we can get him to the hospital."

That brought a smile to Kaori's face. She'd thought that she was going to lose Nick yet again and this time she had nothing to give up in order to get him back. And that had been a truly terrifying thought.

Ed gently scooped his son up into his arms and carefully stood up. "Let's get out of here."

Mustang nodded and the group left the abandoned store where they'd fought the homunculi.

The group quickly made their way across town to the Central Military Hospital, which was the closest medical facility. It took about an hour for the group to reach the hospital and when they entered the building Mustang yelled, "We need a doctor now!"

A soldier turned toward the sound of the command and the first thing he noticed was the haggard appearance of the group. And the second thing he noticed was the identity of the man who was issuing the order.

The man ran over to the group. "Fuhrer Mustang are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Fuhrer Mustang snapped impatiently, pointing at the bloody young man that Ed held in his arms. "But the boy needs immediate medical attention."

The man's first impulse was to remind the group that this was a military hospital but since he was speaking to the Fuhrer he thought it would be for the best if he refrained. "Bring the boy and come with me."

Fuhrer Mustang nodded and quickly removed Nick's limp body from his father's arms. "Edward, I think it would be best if you stayed out here with Riza and Kaori."

Fighting the urge to argue with Mustang Ed nodded and relinquished his hold on his son. He wanted to go with them but he knew that it would probably be better if he allowed Mustang to take the kid.

The Fuhrer took the boy and followed the soldier into the back room.

The soldier led Fuhrer Mustang back to a large room with a gurney in the middle, surrounded by an assortment of medical equipment. The room was brightly lit by a large lamp situated directly above the spot where the gurney was.

"Lay the boy down here," the soldier said, pointing toward the gurney. "And I'll go and find a doctor."

Fuhrer Mustang nodded and placed Nick on the gurney. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down at the boy's bedside.

A few minutes later a doctor entered the room. He briefly saluted the Fuhrer and then walked over to the wounded boy's bedside. The doctor pulled the boy's ripped shirt to one side and examined his wound.

After prodding the wound gently with his finger tips, the doctor gazed over at the Fuhrer. "What exactly happened to this boy sir?"

"He was stabbed," Fuhrer Mustang replied simply.

"Looks more like a burn than a stab wound," the doctor said, taking another look at the wound.

"That would be my doing," Fuhrer Mustang said quietly. "We were some distance from the hospital and the boy was rapidly loosing blood so I had no choice but to sear the wound closed with my fire alchemy. It was necessary although I did try to keep the damage to a minimum."

"I see," the doctor said with a nod. "Well, I'll take good care of him and we'll have him fixed up in no time."

"Thank you," the Fuhrer said.

* * *

A couple of hours later Nick was resting quietly in a room, surrounded by his dad, Kaori, Mustang and Hawkeye. The group had been with him ever since he'd been moved to the room from the emergency department.

"So what did the doctor have to say?" Ed wanted to know.

"He said that Nick should make a full recovery," Mustang said. "With time. Baring any complications of course."

"That's good to know," Ed said, relief evident in his voice.

Kaori was also incredibly relieved to know that Nick would be okay. She'd grown rather attached to him over the years and even though he was a pain sometimes she really would hate to lose him.

* * *

A couple of days passed by with no change in Nick's condition and it was beginning to look as though the doctor might have been wrong about his prognosis. Nick remained unconscious and on top of everything he had now developed a high fever.

Ed and Kaori had rarely left his side since he'd been brought to the hospital and they were becoming increasingly worried about him.

_"Wake up Nick," _Kaori silently pleaded as she held his hand tightly in hers. _"Please."_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Nick's father spoke. "Kaori why don't you go down the hall to the lounge and take a nap? You look exhausted."

Kaori protested, saying that she didn't want to leave Nick, but in the end Nick's father won the argument and managed to talk her into agreeing to take a short nap.

"Go on Kaori," Ed said in a kind voice. "I'll be here with him and if anything changes I promise I'll come and get you."

"Okay," Kaori said after a short pause. "But just a short nap. And then when I come back it's your turn. After all you've been up just as long as I have."

Ed smiled at the girl and nodded.

Kaori stood up from her chair and stretched out her arms. She hadn't moved from the chair in several hours and she felt a little stiff and in need of a good stretch. Kaori yawned and then leaned over and gave Nick's hand a squeeze. "I'll be back soon Nick."

And with that she left the room.

Kaori made her way down the hall to the lounge which they'd already been informed by the staff that they could use if they wanted to take a nap. The room was empty and Kaori grabbed a blanket from a pile that had been placed on a table and settled down on one of the sofas.

And although she'd objected to leaving to take a nap the girl really was exhausted and she fell asleep almost immediately.

A few hours passed and Ed was sitting with his son when one of the doctors who'd been treating Nick entered the room to examine the young boy.

Deciding that since the doctor was there he could leave his son for a few minutes Ed stepped out to get something to drink.

The doctor walked over to the boy's bedside and saw that his eyelids were jerking as though he were trying to open them.

"Nick," he called out hopefully.

There was no response from the boy but as soon as the doctor placed his hand on Nick's chest, the boy began to struggle as though he were engaged in a fight for his life.

"Kaori!" Nick called out frantically, attempting to sit up.

"Calm down Nicholas," the doctor said firmly, as he restrained the boy.

"Let me go!" Nick yelled, fighting the grip that the doctor had on his shoulders. "Kaori!"

The doctor increased the amount of pressure that he was applying to the boy's shoulders and attempted to restrain his struggling patient but it was very difficult. Despite his small size, the boy was very strong. "Nicholas she's fine, now calm down."

Nick seemed not to hear the doctor's words and although his eyes were open the boy didn't seem to know where he was or who was holding him down.

"Let me go!" Nick yelled again. "Kaori!"

"What is going on here?" The door opened and Ed rushed into the room, a cup clasped tightly in his hand.

"The fever has made him delirious," the doctor replied as he continued to struggle with the boy.

Ed quickly placed the cup on a table and strode over to his son's bedside. He placed his hands down firmly on his son's shoulders and held him still. "Nick," he said quietly, gazing down at his son's fever flushed face. "It's dad. You need to calm down son."

Nick gave no sign that he'd heard his father's words. He continued to struggle although Ed's grip did manage to keep the boy's movement to a minimum.

"Let me go!" Nick snarled.

"Dr. Mathias, go into the lounge and awaken the girl sleeping on the couch," Ed ordered. "Tell her that we need her help. She's the only one who can calm him down."

Dr. Mathias looked skeptical upon hearing Ed's plan but at this point, he was pretty much willing to try anything. He nodded and left the room.

Moments later Kaori ran into the room and her gaze fell on the struggling Nick, who was being physically restrained by his father. "What's wrong with him?" she asked in a small voice. "That's not like Nick."

"The fever's made him delirious," Ed replied, slightly out of breath from the effort it was taking to hold his struggling son still. "He doesn't know where he is or who we are. He seems to think that he's still fighting and he keeps yelling for you. I believe he thinks you're in danger."

"Poor thing," Kaori said, quickly crossing the room and resuming her seat at Nick's side. She leaned forward quickly, grabbed Nick's left hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It's okay Nick, I'm here. We're both safe.

"Kaori," Nick whispered, ceasing to struggle against his dad, who removed his hands immediately. "Thank goodness you're safe. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me."

And with that Nick heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.

Ed placed a hand on Kaori's shoulder and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank goodness you were able to reach him. Thank you."

Kaori smiled up at the man who had always appeared to her to be an older version of Nick. It was still amazing to her, even several years after she had met the two of them, exactly how similar the father and son were.

Dr. Matthias was amazed that Kaori had actually been able to soothe the delirious young man and he offered her a grateful smile. "I would say that you should remain close by, just in case something like that happens again, however since you've rarely left his side since he was brought here I think I would probably be wasting my breath."

Kaori didn't need to be told to stay close to Nick. She had no intentions of leaving his side and she told the doctor as much. He'd always been there for her and she would be there for him when and if he needed her.

"Well he seems okay now," Dr. Matthias said. "So I'll leave him in your capable hands."

And with that the doctor left the room.

Ed made a move to resume his seat when Kaori turned around and caught him.

"Hold it!"

"What?'

Kaori gave the man a look so reminiscent of Winry that it actually made him shudder. "It's your turn to go and take a nap. That was the agreement, or have you forgotten?"

"Yea but I'm not sure I should leave considering what happened earlier."

Kaori glanced down at Nick, who was sleeping peacefully, and then focused her gaze back on Ed. "We'll be fine. Now go."

Ed held up his arms in defeat and made his way to the door. However once he reached the door he halted and turned back to face Kaori. "But if. . ."

Kaori knew what Ed was going to say before he said it and she interrupted him. "If anything changes, I'll let you know. Now go."

_"That girl is definitely Mustang's daughter," _Ed thought to himself as he left the room, shaking his head as he went. _"No doubt about it."_

Ed obeyed Kaori's orders and went down the hall to the lounge where she had taken a nap and he too stretched out on the couch. He slept for a couple of hours and then went back to check on his son.

As Ed entered the room, he paused in the doorway and stared at the sight that met his eyes. Kaori had fallen asleep at Nick's side and her head was resting next to his hand. Ed stared at his son and Mustang's daughter and it occurred to him that the two kids may not know exactly how much they cared for one another. However Ed felt certain that they would soon come to realize it and then, as bad as he hated to admit it, he and Mustang would most likely become family.

Ed shuddered at that thought. His son and Mustang's daughter, married.

However as he continued to stare at the pair of them he knew that there was no way to avoid this. Kaori had already proven to what lengths she was willing to go for Nick by attempting (and succeeding) human transmutation. Ed had overheard the two of them discussing the occurrence shortly after he'd been given the task of guarding his son from the homunculi, and before Nick had realized that the pair of them were being followed.

At first he was shocked to learn that this headstrong daughter of Mustang's had attempted the forbidden science, and even more shocked that she'd succeeded, but the revelation had explained a few things. Like why the homunculi ceased to pursue Nick after his last encounter with them in the city of Kai and also why Mustang had become their primary target. And it also explained why no one had seen Kaori use alchemy since before she, Mustang, Havoc and Ed had traveled to Kai to retrieve Nick after he went AWOL.

Ed had no intentions of telling anyone else what he'd found out about the two. Both had suffered enough and Ed was unwilling to be the cause of any more heartache for the pair of them and besides, the transmutation seemed to have been pulled off perfectly.

The two kids really were amazing.

"Hold on to her Nicholas," Ed whispered as he turned around to leave the room.

A/N - and the battle has ended. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter.


	37. The Parting

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter Thirty-Seven - The Parting

(And a Glimpse of Things to Come)

The homunculi had been defeated (Ed, Hawkeye, and Mustang having taken care of Lust and Wrath while Nick and Kaori had done battle with Pride) and Nick had put a lot of thought into what he was going to do with his life now that the mission that he had been obsessed with since the age of eleven was complete. The boy had briefly debated remaining with the military however he'd soon decided against that course of action. It simply wasn't in his nature to blindly follow the orders of someone else. It had been a necessity while he was searching for the homunculi however it was no longer required and Nick decided that he would do quite well without that stress.

And so, his decision made, Nick made one last journey to Central Command. The building had been severely damaged when the homunculi had attacked Mustang and workers were there repairing the damage to the Fuhrer's office and several of the surrounding offices.

While the work was going on the Fuhrer had temporarily set up offices for himself and his closest staff members in the East Wing. So this is where Nick headed.

When Nick reached the Fuhrer's temporary office, he knocked on the door. A few seconds later a voice called out, "Enter" and Nick opened the door and stepped inside.

"Fullmetal," Fuhrer Mustang called out as Nick walked across the room. "To what do I owe this honor? I thought Havoc had given you some time off to recover from your battle."

"He did," Nick said. "But there's something I want to talk to you about and it's kind of important."

Fuhrer Mustang leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "Shoot."

"Remember when I first joined the military how you told me that I could get out anytime I wanted, no strings attached?"

Fuhrer Mustang nodded. He well remembered that conversation and he was starting to see where the present conversation was headed.

"Well I've given it a lot of thought and I've decided that I want out." (What Nick didn't say, what he couldn't say, was that he'd only joined the State Military so that he'd have an easier time tracking down the homunculus that he'd created. And now that his mission had been accomplished, and considering all the hardships he'd endured during the last six years he thought he'd earned a bit of a break.) "I came to turn in my resignation, so to speak." As he spoke, Nick pulled his silver pocket watch from the depths of his pocket and placed it on the desk.

Fuhrer Mustang picked up the watched, stared at it for a few seconds and then handed it back to Nick. "Keep it. Think of it as a souvenir of six years of service and a job well done. You are an exceptionally gifted alchemist and the military hates to lose you. However if you ever want to come back you will be welcomed back with the rank that you are leaving with and with gratitude. As it is now, Lt. Col. Nicholas Edward Elric I hereby grant you an honorable discharge and I'll draw up the paperwork as soon as possible."

Nick took the watch back and slipped it back into his pocket. "Thank you."

Fuhrer Mustang nodded.

"I'm leaving for Resembool in the morning," Nick said as he stood up. "So I probably won't see you again."

"Good bye Nicholas," Fuhrer Mustang said.

"Good bye," Nick said, as he turned to leave.

After his meeting with the Fuhrer, Nick tracked down all of his friends in the military and told them of his plans and said goodbye to them. They were all disappointed to see him go but they wished him luck with whatever he chose to pursue now that he was out of the military.

Then, when he'd said goodbye to all of his military friends, Nick made his way out to the courtyard, where he'd left Kaori waiting for him. The two of them made their way to the park, where they sat under a huge shade tree.

"So you're really going back to Resembool," Kaori said, a sad note in her voice.

Nick nodded.

"I'm really going to miss you," Kaori said, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"We'll see each other again," Nick said, placing his arm around Kaori's shoulders. (Kaori was amazed by this simple act. Nick usually refrained from open shows of affection.)

"You promise?"

Nick raised himself up and knelt in front of Kaori. He reached out and took her hand, holding it tenderly in his own. "Kaori, I realize that we can't do it now but I want to prove to you how much you mean to me. I would be honored if you would consent to be my wife."

Kaori gasped as Nick's words sank in. "Nick are you sure?"

Nick nodded. "I was sure the moment I learned that you'd given up alchemy, your greatest love, in order to return me to life."

Kaori leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Nick. "You're wrong. Alchemy was my first love but not my greatest. You're the only one who can hold that title."

Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. From the box he removed a small ring with a diamond solitaire. He carefully slid the ring onto her finger.

Kaori couldn't keep herself from smiling as she felt the cool weight of the ring on her finger. She gazed down at the ring and noticed that the diamond was remarkably clear and through it she could see the same transmutation circle that Nick had once had placed on a pendant for her. She gazed up at him questioningly.

"It's so we'll always remember the sacrifices our love has endured," Nick said softly. "And so we'll never forget that true love can over come any adversity."

Then, his difficult task over with, Nick sat back down beside Kaori and she placed her head against his chest. "You know Nick, now that we're officially engaged you'll have to face my parents and tell them the news."

Nick's face paled. He hadn't thought about that little detail when he'd planned this out. He'd already said his goodbyes to Mustang and the two had parted on friendly terms. Nick thought that he would really prefer to leave things at that.

Kaori couldn't see Nick's face but she could imagine the look that he must have and she laughed softly. "Come on Nick, it won't be that bad."

A bead of sweat appeared on Nick's forehead. "I think I'd rather battle the homunculi again."

"Poor Nick," Kaori said. "Okay, I'll tell them, after you leave but you know you're going to have to face him eventually."

"I know," Nick said, grateful that Kaori was going to face the firing squad in his place. Nick really hadn't been looking forward to hearing what Mustang would have to say when he found out that he had asked for Kaori's hand in marriage and that she had accepted his proposal. It would not be a pretty sight, he was sure of that. "And maybe someday I'll be prepared for that, but not now."

Kaori laughed. He really was hopeless but as she thought about it she realized that she really wouldn't have him any other way.

"Man, Mustang is gonna flip out when he finds out about this."

Hiding behind a group of trees that were clustered really close together, the man had witnessed everything that had just transpired between the two teenagers, although he'd been too far away to actually hear what the two had been saying. However in his opinion what he'd seen had been enough for him to discern what was going on and he hastened to tell the Fuhrer.

"Let's see if that boy is still the Fuhrer's favorite when he finds out about this," the man said with a smirk.

And with that the uniformed man ran off in the direction of Central Command.

Fuhrer Mustang was sitting in his office, bemoaning the fact that he now had to replace the most talented State Alchemist in the entire military, when he heard a knock on the door. _"What now?" _the Fuhrer thought to himself upon hearing the knock, wondering what else could be wrong. He knew that bad luck always traveled in a group. "Enter."

The door opened and a uniformed man walked quickly into the office, closing the door behind himself.

Recognizing the soldier as a man whom he heartily disliked, Fuhrer Mustang wondered what business could have brought him here.

"What can I do for you Major Somers?"

"I have some very important information to pass along to you sir," Major Somers said in a rush. He was barely able to contain his excitement long enough to pass on his news to the Fuhrer. "I was walking through the park just now when I saw your daughter and that rogue State Alchemist Fullmetal sitting underneath a tree. As I observed the two of them, Fullmetal pulled a small box from his pocket and offered your daughter a ring. I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying however I think their actions speak volumes."

Fuhrer Mustang stared at the major with an impassive look on his face. "Is that all?"

Taken aback, the major nodded. "Well, yes."

"Okay," Fuhrer Mustang said, waving his hand toward the door. 'You may go."

Major Somers saluted and walked out of the office. As he stepped out of the office, Major Somers shook his head in surprise. That meeting had not gone at all the way he had envisioned it.

Once the major had left the office, Fuhrer Mustang allowed his face to show the horror that he had felt upon hearing the news that the major had relayed. He'd thought for awhile that there might be something more than friendship between his daughter and Edward's son, however he'd been in denial for years. Now he could deny it no longer.

"Dammit," Fuhrer Mustang whined. "I should never have allowed that boy into the military. This is Edward's revenge, I know it is."

It never occurred to the Fuhrer that there was a possibility that Edward would be just as devastated with this news as he himself was. All he could think of was that this had to be somehow Edward's fault. Revenge for all of those years that Ed had served under him in the Military.

A/N - oh no! It's the end of the world!


	38. Til Death Do Us Part

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**Chapter Thirty-Eight - Til Death Do Us Part**

Two years had passed since Nick had defeated the homunculi and returned to his home village of Resembool and life had pretty much returned to normal for the young man. He'd stayed in touch with all his friends in Central via letters and phone calls and he'd also made several trips to the capital city in order to visit all of them, especially Kaori.

The separation had not affected their friendship, in fact quite the opposite had occurred. The two had grown even closer since Nick had given up military life and left Central. Apparently not having to constantly worry about his safety had done wonders for Kaori's feelings for him.

Now, two years later, Nick was in the room that had been his as a child, packing his belongings for yet another trip. The difference being that he would not return from this one. After the ceremony this afternoon, he would not return to his childhood home, except for visits, since he was pretty sure that his parents and most assuredly Aiya would protest if he dropped completely off the face of the planet.

Nick had finished packing and was sitting on the edge of his bed when he heard a light knock on the door. Knowing immediately who it was Nick called out in a soft voice, "Come on in Aiya, I'm decent."

The door opened slowly and Aiya entered the room.

As his sister walked across the room Nick again marveled at how much she'd changed over the years. She'd been born with blonde hair but as she aged it had changed to a deep shining chestnut and she was now often told that she resembled their deceased grandmother Trisha.

"So what can I do for you?" Nick asked his little sister as she sat down on the bed beside him.

Aiya stared at the hands that she held clasped in her lap and didn't answer.

Nick leaned over and stared up into her down turned face. "All right, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Aiya said quickly.

"Don't give me that," Nick said. "You can't hide your feelings from me. I've known you too long. Now spill it."

Still staring resolutely at her hands Aiya took a breath. "It seems like I just got you back and now you're going away again."

Nick nodded. "I thought that's what it might be. Don't worry Aiya, it's not like I'm leaving the country or anything like that. Hell, I'm not even leaving Resembool so don't worry. I'm sure you'll see more of me than you want to and now you'll have someone to gang up on me with. A brand new sister to aid and abet you in your torture. You'll like that won't you?"

Aiya gazed up at her brother and forced a smile. "Yea, it'll be great."

At five o'clock that evening Nick left his house and headed for the church. Everyone else had already left but Nick had stayed behind since he'd been warned by both his mother and hers that it was bad luck to see the bride in her gown before the wedding.

As he walked out the front door he whistled for Keeva.

Moments later the large furry dog came bounding around the house and ran up to him. Aiya had tied a large red ribbon around the dog's neck and Nick pulled a ring out of his pocket and tied it to one of the ribbon's ends.

"All right now Keeva," Nick said as he straightened back up. "If you lose that you and I are both dead so please don't."

The dog barked at his master.

"Come on then, we'd better get going. I don't think they'll be happy if we're late."

Nick walked to the church at a leisurely pace, since he had an hour to get there before the ceremony and as he walked he thought about what he was about to do. And with each thought he grew increasingly nervous, which didn't make sense seeing as he'd already faced down several homunculi and a crazed serial killer.

"I'm so weird," Nick thought to himself.

Keeva whined as if agreeing with him.

"Hey," Nick snapped playfully. "You keep out of this."

When Nick and Keeva arrived at the chapel they were met by Nick's dad, dressed in a black tuxedo. Ed walked over to his son and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Are you ready for this son?"

"Yes," Nick replied without hesitation.

Ed nodded. "Come on then, we'll take our places."

Nick nodded and followed his dad, with Keeva at his heels.

The guests were all seated, talking amongst themselves while they waited for the ceremony to begin. The building was packed with people many of whom were dressed in military uniforms. General Hughes, Gracia and Elicia sat near the front with Winry and Havoc and his friends were a few seats back from them.

Nick and Ed were standing at the front of the church.

Suddenly the room grew quiet as a piano began to play from somewhere out of the scene. All eyes turned toward the back of the church as the doors opened and two people walked inside.

Kaori was dressed in a beautiful white gown with a flowing veil held in place by a wreath of flowers placed upon her ebony hair. The veil was down, covering her face from view and she had her arm looped through her father's. Mustang was wearing his dress uniform as he walked his daughter down the aisle.

Nick watched from his place at the front of the church as Kaori and Mustang walked toward him. Once they reached the front, Mustang turned to face his daughter, raised her veil and kissed her forehead lightly. Then he took her hand and led her over to Nick.

Nick reached out and took Kaori's hand.

"I love you," he mouthed as she turned to face him.

"I love you too," she returned.

When it came to the part of the ceremony where Nick was to give Kaori her ring, he gave a short whistle and Keeva came walking down the aisle from the back of the church. The large white dog walked up to his master and sat down in front of him.

"Good boy Keeva," Nick said quietly as he removed the ring from the end of Keeva's ribbon.

As Nick took the small golden ring from the end of the large furry dog's ribbon there came a collective "Aaah," from the crowd. There was some whispering amongst the guests about what a great idea it had been for the groom's dog to be the ring bearer.

When the ceremony was over Nick and Kaori were the last to leave the church and as they exited a voice called out, "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Elric."

"Present arms!"

Gen. Hughes, Col. Havoc, Maj. Fury, Lt. Griffon, Lt. Fox and Sgt. Knight stood in two lines, on either side of the steps and as Nick and Kaori descended the soldiers all raised swords and held them in the air over the heads of the newlyweds.

Nick and Kaori walked through the honor guard and approached the spot where their parents were standing together. However they stopped short when they heard the sounds of their fathers' voices raised in argument. Hawkeye and Winry were standing a few feet away from their husbands and looking thoroughly embarrassed by them.

"I know this is your fault Edward," Mustang accused, glaring at his daughter's new father in law. "I know you encouraged your son to go after my daughter, just for spite."

"The hell you say," Edward exclaimed. "Like I wanted to be linked to you in any way."

Nick's gaze immediately went to the spot off to the side of the churchyard where the two men were standing and his hand went to his forehead. "Couldn't they have at least waited until after the reception? They're making a scene."

Keeva stood beside his master and Nick had half a mind to order the dog to go after the both of them. That would teach them to behave themselves however Nick refrained from doing it and the argument continued, loudly.

Nick shook his head as he turned back to face his new bride. "You might be sorry you did this."

"Never," Kaori said with a smile, taking Nick's hand and giving it a squeeze. "We can deal with them."

Nick's gaze shifted back to their fathers for a moment and then he looked back at Kaori. "Are you sure?"

In answer to that question Kaori leaned forward and gave Nick a kiss.

"Okay," Nick murmured from around her lips. "If you really think so."

A/N - And now Ed's son is married to Mustang's daughter. Poetic justice if I ever saw it. Hope that you enjoyed. The next chapter will be the last.


	39. Epilogue

Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

**EPILOGUE**

Ed and Mustang sat glaring at one another while Winry and Hawkeye chatted happily, oblivious to the two men's obvious discomfort over the current situation, and Aiya sat silently, just listening to the other two women talk. The quintet had been there most of the night and the two men had long since grown weary of each others company, as was made apparent by the 'I hate you' looks they were giving to one another.

The group simultaneously raised their heads when they heard the sound of a door being opened from somewhere outside the den where they all sat waiting.

A few minutes later two men stepped into the room. One of the men, an older gentleman with gray flecks along the edge of his hair, was carrying a black bag and once inside the den he stopped and turned to face the young blonde man who was following him. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on them. Now make sure she gets plenty of rest."

"I will," Nick said, offering the doctor his hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the doctor said, as he grasped Nick's proffered hand.

With that the doctor left and Nick walked across the room to the spot where his family sat. "You guys can come up for a few minutes if you want to," he said quietly to the group.

Winry, Hawkeye and Aiya immediately got to their feet. Ed and Mustang were a little slower to rise but soon all five of them were standing beside Nick. Nick smiled and led the group out of the den and into the foyer. Then they all climbed the stairs up to the second floor.

Nick led the way back to a door at the end of the hall and he opened it slowly.

"You feel up to some visitors?" he called out softly.

"Of course," came the soft reply.

Nick opened the door wider and motioned for the others to enter.

Winry, Hawkeye, Aiya, Ed and Mustang all slowly followed Nick into the room and as their eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness they saw Kaori sitting up in a bed, propped up by several large pillows, holding a blanket wrapped bundle in her arms.

Nick quickly crossed the room and gently took the bundle from Kaori. Then he walked back to the door, where their parents and his little sister still stood as though afraid to enter.

"Come meet your granddaughter," Nick said softly, moving the blanket away from his daughter's small face.

"It's a girl?" Winry and Hawkeye exclaimed at the same time.

Nick nodded. "Saraia Harmony Elric."

"A girl!" Winry exclaimed in an excited voice. "I can't believe it's a girl. I thought for sure it'd be a boy."

"And what's wrong with boys?" Nick asked his mother, an amused expression on his face.

"Nothing," Winry said quickly wrapping an arm around her son's shoulders.

"Uh huh," Nick said not sounding entirely convinced.

Ed gazed at his son, who was still holding his baby daughter. He thought he knew why Winry was so excited that the baby was a girl. She was hoping that this baby granddaughter of theirs would break the cycle of tragedy that had plagued their family for several generations. And for Nick's sake Ed hoped that would be the case.

Aiya was standing near the door and Nick walked over to her and offered her the bundle that he held in his arms. "You wanna hold her Aiya?"

Aiya smiled and took her niece carefully into her arms. "Hello there," she cooed softly to the baby. Then, after a few minutes, she gazed up at her older brother. "You named her after Harmony?"

Nick nodded. "Kaori and I both wanted to."

Tears appeared in Aiya's eyes and without a word, she wrapped one of her arms around her brother's shoulder, being careful to support the baby with her other hand. As Nick's gaze surveyed his family he couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face. The road to this point had been long and difficult but he was finally home.

A/N - and that's the end. Ed and Mustang now have a granddaughter. I personally think that this turn of events is too funny. Hope that you enjoyed this story.


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